


To Fall, Yours Summer

by Giverny



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Arson, Cheating, College AU, Crime, Death, F/M, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Jealous Sasuke, M/M, Marriage, More tags to be added, Multi, Naruto and Sasuke met in college, Pining, Pregnancy, So much angst, Suicidal Thoughts, Unhealthy Relationships, Violence, i guess?, mention of drugs and alcohol, murder (?), there will be a happy ending I promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2019-07-07 15:59:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 54,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15911553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Giverny/pseuds/Giverny
Summary: Closing in on thirty, Naruto still hasn't been in a serious relationship which has caused his family and friends to grow concerned. It's not like Naruto doesn't want to be in one though.It's just that the man Naruto has fallen deeply in love with is married. And there's no chance of them breaking up anytime soon.That is, until Naruto makes a bet with an ambitious college student and suddenly, Naruto's rethinking this whole relationships thing. But will Sasuke be happy about Naruto opening up his heart to someone else?





	1. To Fall, You Forgot To Pay For Postage

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been in my brain for so long it's actually kind of weird (but mostly exciting) reading it in actual writing. LOL well. typing i guess

So far, college parties were what Naruto had expected. A lot of awkward shuffling to music that was barely loud enough to be heard over drunken conversations, people along the walls with mixed drinks that were more so alcohol than lemonade, and the faint smell of vomit in the air. People were asleep on the stairs, draped over one another on the couches and he could have sworn he saw some guy somehow sleeping while standing. 

Currently, the blond was situated in a corner while his friends Kiba and Ino were playing a vivacious game of king's cup where no one really knew the rules and just threw ping pong balls across the room, pounding down shots and screaming. A couple people had come up to him asking him if he wanted to dance or complimenting his eyes that were _very, very blue where-did-you-get-these_ , or if he wanted anything a little more potent than alcohol. 

He didn't. 

The blond sniffed his drink before grimacing and leaving it on some random table. Briefly, he debated whether or not it smelled more like pee than it did gasoline and decided on the latter. It made sense that everyone's cups were still full. This stuff was gross.

Maybe he would save getting shit-faced for after his first midterm. Specifically, his calculus midterm next Thursday. Honestly, the term had just started last week. It wasn't a midterm at that point, it was a _punishment._  

Nevertheless, the blond chose to go out rather than study.

He kind of figured that the party scene would be something he would enjoy considering his outgoing nature and personable attitude. Yet, this shindig was more akin to a viewing rather than a so-called _rager._  Right now, Naruto kind of just wanted to go back to his dorm and eat ramen noodles out of his water boiler. 

Maybe send Hinata an electronic message and ask her if she wanted to hang out with him. He had sensed some tension between her and Kiba considering that he wanted to go to the party and his girlfriend had wanted him to stay. 

The two had been together since high school and Naruto suspected Kiba was venturing into the dangerous territory of "I've never dated anyone else so let me just try that for a hot second, but we'll get back together eventually." 

He hoped that for the sake of not having to choose sides, it didn't escalate to that point and he wouldn't have to choose sides. 

Hinata. 

He chose Hinata's side. 

"Hi," a voice sounded out, which caused Naruto to snap his head up. The blond's eyes travelled upwards to meet the intense, dark orbs of the man in front of him. Naruto gulped as his gaze moved downwards towards a perfectly shaped nose, thin lips and a killer jawline. It didn't help that he also had expertly styled dark hair that swept across his forehead and also spiked up in the back. The guy honestly looked like a model. 

Not even like the hand models in phone commercials, like the models on the big window displays at department stores splayed over posh couches wearing an unbuttoned dress shirt with the unkempt hair and the killer smile. 

The thought that it was actually improbable to have someone this attractive at a party like this passed through his mind before he bit his lip, thinking of a response.

_Do you have your own perfume line?_

"Hi. Sorry, you seem to have caught me very deep in thought," the blond said, coughing on a glob of saliva stuck in his throat. _God, could he get any more awkward?_ He decided he didn't need the answer to that and quickly regained his composure, running a hand through his blond locks in an attempt to be nonchalant. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your deep and profound thought process. Let me guess. Psychology?" The man asked, quirking a well-kept brow. Watching his lips move, Naruto was convinced you could practically saw through glass with with a jawline like that. 

"Undeclared, actually," Naruto answered. "You?" the blond asked, tilting his head a bit, grinning. 

"Business," the man replied speedily. He took a quick swig of his drink before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm Sasuke, by the way," he mentioned with a smirk. 

Naruto immediately flushed at his expression. He had hoped his ears weren't as red as he thought they were. He decided if Sasuke asked about it, he would say that it must be the alcohol. 

"Naruto." the blond said slowly, somehow unsure if that was really his name considering how nervous he was. 

"You're really red," Sasuke spoke up.  _Was this guy reading his mind or something?_

"Must be the alcohol," the blond replied coolly, attempting to lean against the wall and instead falling backwards on top of a couple of the couch making out with each other. Naruto immediately scrambled upwards, Sasuke offering a hand to the distressed college student. The raven then let out a hardy laugh. 

Naruto pouted, obviously embarrassed and wanting to die at the moment. He had obviously ruined his chances with model man.

Meanwhile, the couple gifted them with furious expressions and got up from the couch, making their way up the stairs speedily. 

"Want to get some air? You seem a little tipsy," Sasuke asked as the couple passed them. The blond nodded and the two walked outside. The house was quite small for the amount of people in it but the balcony was surprisingly spacious. And everyone inside seemed to be preoccupied with the drinking and the awkward dancing so no one seemed to notice the two leaving.

Luckily, the cool air felt refreshing against the blond's skin and he let out a sigh of relief before he folded his arms over the edge of the balcony. He looked out into the night, his eyes scanning over the scant stars and down towards the flurry of cars parked way too close to one another for anyone to get in or out of those things.

Sasuke situated himself in the spot next to him, facing the other direction, most likely watching the people inside interacting with one another and whatnot. 

"Why did you come to this party anyways? Your friends are having all the fun and you're just in the corner," the raven said. He turned towards the blond, having plucked a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it. 

Naruto pretended like the smoke didn't affect him despite the foul odor. "You spying on me?" the blond replied. 

"There were a lot of people watching you tonight," Sasuke responded, the cigarette dangled out of the corner of his mouth. "It's not every day you get to see the son of Namikaze Minato at a college party. Especially one as dull as this one." 

Naruto's ears perked up at the mention of his father and was about to get up to leave before Sasuke grabbed onto his wrist. The blond froze up, the man in front of him taking his cigarette out of his mouth before speaking up again. 

"None of that matters to me unless you want it to," Sasuke said before releasing his wrist. He gave Naruto a meaningful look and the two stood there in silence on the balcony where the background noise of the party filled the space between them. 

"I don't want it to," Naruto relented. The raven smiled before Naruto approached him again. 

"So first college party, crossed off the list." Sasuke clicked his tongue. The blond held his head in his hands and nodded, the smell of alcohol emanating from the inside of the party was immense and filled his head. He felt the raven splay out his fingers on his back, rubbing soothing circles. 

"First and last," the blond muttered. There was no way he was ever going to drink alcohol or go to one of these things ever again. 

"First and last drink too?" the raven asked, spinning around and leaning over the railing next to Naruto. 

He earned a disgruntled sigh as a response. "We'll see after next Thursday." The man next to him let out a bit of a laugh before running a hand through his shiny, black hair. 

"Ah, first midterm. Welcome to higher education." Sasuke scoffed. Naruto shoved his shoulder plafully. 

"How many firsts you got left then? I promise I'll make one of them worth your while, to make up for this horrible party," Sasuke answered. Naruto waved his hand sheepishly.  

"How about first," Sasuke trailed off, "First cigarette?" he puffed the smoke into Naruto's face teasingly.

The blond swatted the smoke away and muttered, "I'll pass. And I'll speak for your lungs too. Pass." 

He couldn't even pretend that smoking made him hotter. The fumes were kind of starting to make him feel dizzy but he didn't want him to think he was any less cool. 

"Hm, have you done it yet?" the raven leered. Naruto merely turned the other way. "Come on, that's nothing to be ashamed about. Sorry I asked, I didn't mean to pressure you," Sasuke insisted. 

It wasn't like Naruto never thought about it, he hadn't even--

"But, you've had your first kiss though, right?" 

_And there it was._

"You're just going to make fun of me if I tell you the truth, Sasuke," Naruto's face was tinted with a reddish hue. He had refused to make eye contact with the other man out of fear of embarrassing himself further.  

"I won't," the raven reassured the blond college student. 

"Well, I haven't had my first kiss yet. I mean, you can imagine why. My dad can be a little overprotective," Naruto murmured under his breath. The blond released his head from his hands and turned to face Sasuke in order to gauge his reaction. 

The blond barely had time to think before Sasuke leaned in and pressed his lips against his. Naruto felt frozen, unsure of what to do before Sasuke moved against his lips against his once more before finally moving away from the surprised blond. 

It was almost as if the party that was going on inside dissipated as a feeling of dizziness overwhelmed the blond. Yet, he snapped out of it as soon as he heard the wild chanting of "CHUG, CHUG, CHUG!" and the two stepped apart from one another. 

Naruto stared up at Sasuke through dark lashes and peered into the other man's eyes, expecting to see a rightful smirk or snarky grin, but the raven looked content and had a genuine grin plastered on his face. Damn, he was kind of expecting him to be a jerk because Naruto figured that jerks were kind of his type but he was starting to have hope for this one. 

Wait, wasn't his dad going to be like furious? 

"My dad is going to be really mad at you. Like, he could probably expel you. Or execute you," the blond sputtered, realizing that his father could indeed punish Sasuke for touching his precious child. Not to mention, Naruto was internally panicking at the idea he had totally just kissed a guy he only met approximately 4 minutes ago. Yet, he could kind of care less. 

Well, he could care more. But it's not like he wanted to. 

"Well, if I'm going to die anyways, how do you feel about seconds?" Sasuke asked curiously, trailing his hands down to Naruto's waist and pulling him in closer. 

"I guess we're going to have to find out," Naruto answered before leaning in to recapture the raven's lips. 

Naruto decided that he wanted the rest of his life to feel this way. 

* * *

_10 years later..._

"Thank you so much for dropping by. It's honestly been too long," Ino said as she wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and pulled him in for a quick hug. The two broke apart as Ino handed him a plastic bag full of delicious items such as pork buns, shrimp dumplings and fried octopus. 

Naruto chuckled, realizing that it had indeed been about 6 months since he last dropped by. And it was unusual seeing her so few times out of the year considering they had seen each other on a daily basis during their college days. 

Sometimes, the woman used to sleep in his dorm room when she was totally wasted, not being coherent enough to even know the code to her own dorm room. Luckily Naruto was just down the hall. 

However, it was quite embarrassing opening the door while dressed in ramen-patterned boxers and a froggy night cap with garish orange slippers. Holding onto a cup of instant ramen. With a noodle comically falling out of his mouth as a cluster of sorority girls all stared at him with wide eyes. 

Like he was some sort of goofy specimen of what a man was supposed to be. 

Their brains worked extra hard to determine whether or not he was a hot nerd or a nerdy jock. They settled on hot mess, that's what they did. 

"Now, can I trust you to deliver this to the Uchihas with the utmost tender, love and care?" she asked with a pout, her bottom lip jutting out comically. 

"They might get the pork buns and the dumplings but the octopus is mine," Naruto winked. Instead of laughing, Ino decided to swat at him. Luckily, the blond had ducked before she landed a blow and raised his hands in surrender soon after. 

The two had certainly messed around with one another and it was something that he definitely missed. 

"Fine, fine, fine. I'll head out right now. Grab some Ichiraku's on the way, I guess," the blond sighed, feigning distress as he collapsed against the wall. 

"Seriously, don't eat anything. That's what Sakura promised she would feed Sasuke tonight and she can't cook to save her life!" Ino scolded him. Naruto nodded weakly and turned to open the door knob. 

Unfortunately, the two both knew that to be true. 

They had dubbed the incident _"Banana Pudding" 2kforever._

They even had the group chat to prove it. 

Naruto had known Sakura for about 2 years but as long as he's known her, she definitely knew she couldn't cook for shit. But, she liked to pretend she did for the sake of keeping her marriage with Sasuke intact. 

As if she could rub the fact that she was the perfect wife for the love of his life any more than she already did. Right in his face. 

"Ah, Naru, another thing," Ino started. Her eyes were the eyes she usually gave boys before she said no to them, so he wasn't feeling great about this interaction so far.  And she had said no to enough boys for Naruto to recognize it immediately. 

_Great, here's the speech._

_"_ You need to know when to give up, Naruto. I'm sorry, but it's true. I haven't seen you in six months. Nobody has seen you. Anywhere," Ino explained. "You can't be sad over something like this anymore!" 

"I didn't come here to be lectured," the blond gripped onto the plastic bag in his hands, "All of you treat me like you need to rescue me." 

"Naruto, that's not," the woman insisted, reaching out towards her friend. 

"Really, thank you. I appreciate it. But, I'm going now," Naruto opened the door, then slammed it shut. Leaving Ino behind with a worried expression on her face and a heavy feeling in her heart. 

In truth, Naruto just wanted some peace and quiet. 

Was stability too much to ask for? Financial at the very least? 

Emotional was a different story. 

* * *

 "Hm, so your options are: Asuma actually kills you or I pick you up and you can crash at my place and this tragedy can all be avoided?" Naruto repeated, suppressing the urge to laugh at the clueless teenager on the other end of the line.

"Yes, now are you going to help me or not!" Konohamaru exclaimed dramatically. The blond raised the phone away from his face at the noise of his nephew screeching into his ear. Well, lovingly screeching into his ear, he supposed. 

To be perfectly honest, Naruto was exhausted from the day he had. It was true he had been avoiding close friends but he did have a valid reason. Seeing them had been exhausting. Especially pretending like he was out of love with Sasuke when dropping by their house and greeting Sakura. 

He almost pulled it off. 

Sakura would probably say otherwise though. 

"Text me the address. If you're sober enough, that is," Naruto rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I don't see the appeal of parties, even when I was still in college," the blond scoffed as he picked up his car keys from the counter and heading out the door towards his car.

"OMG, we get it. You're literally a hundred years old, Uncle Naruto and you graduated college like 800 B.C.," Konohamaru slurred into the phone, "Should I just send you my location in an electronic message so you can read it, grandpa?" 

"You want me to pick you up and save your ass or not, brat?" the blond threatened. "And my preferred method of contact is by mailbox obviously, thank you very much." He heard Konohamaru sigh before hanging up the phone and Naruto's phone immediately buzzed with the location of the house where the buzzed teen was currently situated in. 

He probably should have told Asuma what was going on, but it was probably fine. 

Probably. 

I mean, kids should be able to experiment and stuff in college. Naruto had done plenty of that in his first year. A lot of that in fact. And some of it in his second year. Less of it in his third. He swears he wasn't even awake for most of his fourth year. 

The blond continued to drive, his headlights blearing into the night considering it was closer to the ass crack of dawn rather than actual night time. It had made it easier to drive but Konohamaru was so utterly shit-faced, it wasn't safe for him to even walk on his own. 

Good thing Moegi had been there to wake him up from his vomit-induced state in order to contact him.  

Suddenly, an incoming text from Sasuke lit up his phone notification screen and while Naruto detested the idea of using his phone while driving, he had to pick it up and look at what his friend had sent him:

_Sasuke: Dobe, check it out._

_Uchiha Sasuke has attached an image._

Naruto clicked on it and saw that Sasuke had sent him a meme. The blond couldn't help but let out a chuckle. While Konohamaru made fun of him for being an old-timer, Sasuke was less culturally aware than his parents. 

Like, he had literally seen this meme at least 2 years ago. 

Naruto shook his head before responding in a timely manner, his eyes looking up and down from the phone to the traffic signal intermittently. 

_Naruto: Some friendly advice, stop following business moguls on Twitter. That's how jokes actually get to you by messenger bird._

The blond threw the phone back onto the seat next to him and continued to drive forward. Luckily, Naruto only had to drive a couple more blocks until he reached the house where his drunken nephew was currently indisposed. 

He messily parked in front of a fountain that had been pouring out water that was mysteriously not clear and very much so a yellow color. For his own sake, he decided to walk past it and never think about that ever again. 

He knew he was worth all this trouble but at the same time, Naruto was old and he wanted to be at home. Watching TV in his comfy pants. And with his frog stuffed animals. Naruto slammed the car door a little harder than normal before he arrived at the walkway to the house. 

The mansion in front of him was as ridiculous as it was opulent. There were golden pillars that held the main frame of the house up, with white walls and clear, glass windows with puffy white curtains with gold trim. The house had to be at least three floors with its grand size. The porch alone outside looked like it was made of either marble or granite. 

At the very least, something that nipped at the bank a little bit. 

Or a lot a bit. 

Naruto decided to walk in, everyone in the house too busy partying and screaming, dancing or too drunk to even understand what was happening. The blond's strategy was in and out. 

So, he was halfway there. 

In. 

So, time to work on the out. 

_Where would he be if he was a drunk Konohamaru?_

Before Naruto could go up the stairs, he felt a hand tug on his shoulder. The blond curiously turned around, half-assuming it was just a drunk college student asking him to dance. He was almost prepared to say no or shake his head until-- 

"Hi," the guy said as he looked up at Naruto with wide brown eyes. He had orange, spiky locks that were similar to his own as well as a couple piercings on his eyebrow, nose and a couple under his lip. Naruto had to admit he was good-looking but the blond quickly dismissed those thoughts since this guy was obviously a kid. That is, ten years younger than him at least. 

"Bye," Naruto said before trotting up the stairs in order to find his drunk nephew. 

"Hey, wait!" the guy cried out, reaching towards the blond and following him up the stairs. 

Naruto sighed before turning around to face the college student. "Look, I'm really flattered, but I'm thirty and I'm tryna look for my nephew. His name is Konohamaru and I'm really trying to not date college kids." 

"Well," the guy began, "I know where Konohamaru is and also, I graduate next quarter." 

"Hm," Naruto said, "Okay, how about you take me to Konohamaru and also find a job or go to graduate school and forget that we ever met and interacted?" the blond clapped his hands together before putting them on his hips. 

Honestly, this kid was good-looking enough. He didn't have to go after old geezers like him. It's not like he was rich or anything either if he wanted a sugar daddy or something like that. After all, he had only published two books since graduating. Currently working on a third. And a fourth. And a fifth. 

He really couldn't decide on which story he wanted to finish first before just starting new ones. 

"Fine. But you have to tell me why you're not interested in me. And don't give me any of that I'm-too-old-for-you shit. We're not even that far apart in age!" the kid yelped. "And my name is Yahiko by the way. Not brat. Now follow me." 

"Naruto, pleased to meet you. And okay. How about _you're_ too young _for me_?" Naruto answered boldly, following Yahiko as he swerved through different crowds. The blond followed closely behind. 

"You don't have to say it, I get it. You're like totally into some other guy, right? Obviously, you're not in a relationship or you would have mentioned it by now," Yahiko sighed as he opened the door to a room, peering in before continuing down the hallway. 

Naruto froze at the mention of him being into someone and shook off the thoughts of the bastard that flitted through his head. He would rather not get into that now or ever actually. Instead, Naruto decided to change the subject. 

"How do you know I'm gay?" Naruto challenged. 

"Please," Yahiko scoffed. 

_Fair enough._

"Are we almost there yet?" the blond asked, accidentally bumping into someone, their drink spilling out over their friend who was asleep on the stairs. 

A notification on his phone rung out and Yahiko turned around: 

_Sasuke: Thanks for the food, "Sakura!"_

_Sasuke: How did you know fried octopus was my favorite?_

The blond glanced at the messages before putting away the device. 

"That's him, isn't it?" the college student sung out. Naruto immediately flushed and turned away. 

"Really, still none of your business!" the blond exclaimed as he stomped behind the college student. 

"You look at your phone like that if it's a dog, free food or if it's the boy you like. I'm guessing the very, very latter considering it's 4 am," Yahiko insisted before gripping onto the staircase rail and hoisting himself over a nasty puddle of vodka and shards of broken glass. 

Naruto followed the kid's steps and replied, "Again, none of this is your business and please show me where my nephew is." 

"Yikes, is this guy famous or something? Just give me a chance, I'm not as immature as you think I am," Yahiko said as he turned back towards Naruto. The two had stopped in the middle of the staircase where anarchy seemingly froze about them. 

While Naruto wasn't the type to brush someone off since he genuinely considered himself pretty personable, he decided that he would let the kid down easy. Over the years, Naruto had honed this perfect formula for turning down persistent suitors. 

Step one, say no thanks. 

Step two, say no way in hell. 

Step three, two usually worked. So, call the police? Or Ino. 

"Let's get some air, kid," Naruto said, letting out a big sigh. Hopefully, the kid would reach step one and then back off. He wasn't in the mood for step two considering the sun was about to wake up. 

The college student seemingly perked up, nodding before hopping up the steps and taking a sharp left. 

Then, Yahiko led them to the balcony where the college student had found himself a comfortable spot on a cushioned armchair. Naruto stood across from him, his arms folded across his chest. He had to hand it to the kid.

_He was damn persistent._

"Why are you so stuck on me?" Naruto asked, laughing exasperatedly. "There are plenty of people your age who like you, I'm sure. You probably get love letters all the time." He was attractive. Wasn't that all kids needed nowadays anyways? 

"LOL, who receives letters anymore?" Yahiko grinned, ignoring the first part of Naruto's question altogether. The blond pretended to understand how people spoke with acronyms but chose to neglect it. 

"I do!" Naruto answered. The college student laughed at Naruto's antics before clasping his hands together and drawing them behind his head and leaning back. 

"Why aren't you two together?" Yahiko asked bluntly. 

Naruto spluttered, "I don't know what you mean."

"Look, I can give up on you if I know that this guy is worth giving you up for. And the fact that you two aren't together intrigues me, I guess," he relented. "I mean, I totally respect the fact that some people aren't interested in relationships and stuff, but you're lonely, aren't you?" Yahiko asked. 

The older man froze up before finding the words he wanted to say. 

"I don't think it's right of you to assume you know anything about me. But if you really must know," Naruto sighed, "he's married. Obviously not to me, but one of our best friends. Besides, I don't know why I need to give you a reason to stop pursuing me. You should stop pursuing me because that's the decent thing to do." 

"Big mood." Yahiko took in a sharp intake of breath. Meanwhile, Naruto pretended to understand how college students spoke to one another. Was he supposed to say that to Konohamaru now?  _Big mood?_ Was Naruto _relatable?_

"Look, I'm sorry for prying. But since I've already pried, why are you still pining after him? You should move on." Yahiko pressed. 

"Don't you think I've tried that? Also, you should definitely take me to Konohamaru now. I've answered your questions and let you down easy, didn't I? I'm also not pining. We're just close so it's hard accepting he's taken. I'm very much reminded of that during our daily phone calls, thank you very much," the blond sighed before heading back inside. 

"That's a little weird," the college student admitted. 

"It's not!" the other yelled back. 

"It's weird. The phone calls... weird," Yahiko bit his lip. 

"I don't even know why I have to explain anything to you! You don't know me and I don't know you and we don't need to know each other!" Naruto exclaimed, finding it a little odd getting this worked up talking to this random kid. 

"Naruto, wait." Yahiko spoke up, grabbing onto the blond's sleeve. 

The blond turned to look over his shoulder at the student and tensed up. "If you still have any hope that he could be yours, then don't call him. If he doesn't want to talk to you, then that should indicate if any part of him wants you, doesn't it?" Yahiko suggested. His eyes were burning with a strange intensity at the proposal and Naruto decided that he would ignore the fluttering sensation he was starting to feel. 

"He's gets busy sometimes so that's not really an indicator. And _you_ are _nosy,"_ the blond retaliated. 

_Was it really so ridiculous though?_

"But isn't some part of you curious? To see if he values your relationship as much as you do?" Yahiko implicated. 

_Yes._

"And what if he doesn't? Do I just drop him? What happens then?" Naruto prodded. 

_He couldn't do that. Not to Sasuke._

"You give me a chance," Yahiko said in a blunt tone. 

_Ha. Very funny, kid._

"Not gonna happen. Besides, this deal doesn't benefit me in any way," the blond scoffed, "now, are you going to show me where Konohamaru is or do I have to just venture out into this mess on my own?" Naruto asked frustratedly, gesturing to the mayhem of the party happening inside the house. 

"If you agree, I'll show you where Konohamaru is. If he doesn't call you, then you give me a chance and call me or message me. And if this guy _does_ contact you, then I'll write you a letter apologizing for the way I've been acting as a nod to you being an actual old man." the college student held out his hand. 

And Naruto convinced himself for the sake of getting this kid to knock it off, he shook it. 

"You have yourself a deal, Yahiko." Naruto said in a very matter-of-fact tone before handing over his phone so Yahiko could put his number in it. 

"Knew you would see it my way, Naruto." Yahiko smiled as he let go of the older man's hand. 

"Yeah, yeah. Just get ready to pay for postage, kiddo. This ain't no digital message, you hear?" the blond said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. 

"It's based on the honor system, so you better follow through and call me if this guy doesn't," the college student said handing the phone back to the other man. Naruto pretended not to be impressed by the speed at which the kid typed in his number and figured that he would just never understand this generation. 

"Great. Now, take me to my nephew. We've wasted too much time because of your nonsense," the blond huffed. 

The college student merely shrugged as they made their way past the drunken sea of people and broken ornamental decorations and antique vases, finally arriving to Konohamaru who was very much so asleep against Moegi's shoulder. 

He smelled like vomit so Naruto was certainly excited about taking him home. And also putting him in his car. 

Overall, it had been a long night. A long, _long_ night. As soon as Naruto got Konohamaru in the car with much to Naruto's disdain, _Yahiko's_ help, he drove off speedily towards his apartment. Almost collapsing onto the bed after making sure his nephew was okay. 

He barely remembered to let Moegi know he was okay as well as thank her for taking care of Konohamaru. 

And then Naruto remembered he really wanted to be asleep. So, for the first time in the eleven years he had known Sasuke, he hadn't responded to his messages. 

* * *

_To Summer,_

_Remember that party where I met you? Where we spoke on the balcony and we bickered? (If you don't, this letter will be kind of awkward considering that's all I'm going to write about. So, if you don't, please skip to the last three sentences.)_

_It was so gross and warm inside the house and I'm pretty sure it's because some overexcited partygoer missed the bathroom by about forty feet. Maybe even fifty. But definitely more than thirty. Essentially, there's a strong chance that someone pissed in a potted plant. But that's not what I want to write about. It would be weird if that's what I wanted to write about._

_Instead, I write about the story of how I fell in love with you and this fervid tale begins with the party._

_When we stepped out onto the balcony and the air was so, so cold, it felt so nice. It was like I could finally breathe. More than just physically, but I just felt like I could be myself around you. Unapologetically. Authentically. You know? I was never quite the party type and originally, I didn't want to go. I don't particularly like people. Especially ones that are warm and sweaty and drunk. And I know this will sound cliche because there is no romance without cliches anyways, but being with you is like a breath of fresh air. ALL of the breaths of fresh air. The inhale and the exhale, the whole package. Respiration._

_And I've never felt like that before. But, with you... it's like I don't need the oxygen in the air to stay alive. You are everything I need to be here._

_Sometimes, I feel like I'm in space. You_ _obviously can't breathe in space, so I'm choking and I'm heels over head floating around in some abyss. Then, you're there. In your clunk of junk spaceship and you're in an astronaut costume or something. It's probably orange because that's who you are as a person. And you pull me in and I can breathe again._

_But even if I couldn't breathe anymore, I wouldn't mind dying as long as you were there for my last breath._

_When I'm with you, it feels like that all the time. The cold, cold air when I feel so, so hot._

_You are my balcony in this truly piss-stained universe._

_Love, Fall_

_P.S. Since this is a letter, you'll probably get this in about two years. Which is probably enough time to intercept the federal mail delivery system in order to get the letter back and prevent you from ever reading it. I really should stop giving myself ideas._  


	2. Read My Lips, Yours Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While waiting for Sasuke's call, Naruto gets a call from his publisher. As a result, Naruto must make a difficult decision about his future. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Yahiko reminisces about his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gary, my beta reader, is busy so I had to edit this chapter on my own LOL 
> 
> sidenote: if anyone wants to know the plot ahead of time n help me out LMK LOL

"Brriiiinngggggggggggg! Briiinnnnngggggggg! Brriiiiinnggggggg--!" 

The incessant ringing noise only stopped as a tanned hand shot out of piles of sheets and slid across the phone screen. As the hand drew away from the device, a mass of blond hair poked out from underneath the blankets followed by two sleepy, bright blue eyes that were slowly blinking awake. 

Naruto raised the phone up to his ear, propping his elbow up onto a fluffy, orange pillow letting out a big yawn before he spoke. 

"You've reached the automated voice message system of--," Naruto dozed off, "Please leave a message after the _beeeeeeep_." The blond then promptly collapsed back onto the sheets and pulling his blanket back over his body.

The blond absentmindedly noticed he was still in his clothes from last night but didn't care enough to get up and change. The thought Konohamaru was still in his house didn't seem to occur to him either. 

"EXCUSE ME, BRAT! Do you know who you're talking to!" a voice erupted from the mobile device. 

 _Damn_ , Naruto thought. 

_The phone wasn't even on speaker and you could hear the old hag from Mars._

"Sorry, Granny. I had a rough night. I promise I will have your edits by noon," the blond said as he sat up. He rubbed his eyes and stretched out his limbs before throwing his jean-clad legs over the edge of the bed.

The woman on the other end of the line huffed in frustration. 

"It is _noon_ , kid," she replied. 

"Shit, Tsunade. I'm sorry. Look, I'll get them in as soon as possible. Konohamaru stayed over and--," Naruto panicked, realizing that the kid had been in his house and rushed out of his room, skidding past the corner towards the living room. The blond dropped his phone onto the bed before taking off much to Tsunade's dismay and worry. 

"Konohamaru what? Naruto? Naruto!" the voice shrieked. 

Naruto stopped as soon as he turned the corner, passing through the kitchen and peeking his head over the couch. 

Luckily, the kid had still been passed out and appeared to have not thrown up or jostled around too much in his sleep. The blond searched the kitchen in order to find a clean glass and as soon as he found one, he quickly filled up the glass with water and collected some painkillers from the cabinet.

The blond then walked them over to the coffee table across from where the teen slept. He figured he could take the kid out for some greasy hangover food when he woke up. But for right now, he needed to talk to Tsunade. 

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and retreated back into his room, plopping down on the bed and looking over at the night stand. 

Where digital numbers beamed up at him. 

_2:01 pm._

The blond cursed silently to himself before picking up and putting the phone back up to his ear. "Sorry about that, granny. I don't know," Naruto breathed in before letting out a deep sigh, "I don't know what's gotten into me lately." 

"Well, I've got a pretty good idea, kiddo," Tsunade sighed. 

"It's not Sasuke," Naruto quickly countered. 

"Never said it was," she replied. "I never have to say what it is, Naruto," Tsunade continued. 

The author smiled fondly as he looked up towards the mirror in front of him. Tsunade, his publisher, was the closest person to him other than his parents and even then his parents had just _barely_ edged her out. He had worked under her for a couple of years after college and was subject to many a red mark to get his articles and papers to meet her impossibly high standards. 

Over time, they grew close. Close enough for Tsunade to share about her past. And the people she lost due to her sticking her nose into places she shouldn't have, but had to. 

Don't get Naruto wrong though. 

She was a hardass. 

But, The Konoha Tribune was the #1 Newspaper, both digital and print edition to ever reach the record subscriber and download count of any local newspaper in the world. 

In addition to her contributions in the field of journalism, she also helped in the investigation into the criminal organization, Akatsuki. She also reported about their shady dealings with a notorious human trafficker, Orochimaru. With Tsunade's help, the police were able to rescue three children that were reported missing at around the same time. 

However, Tsunade didn't like writing about those things. People fell in love with her creative work as well. And he was proud to work under her. Even when he had transitioned into the world of publishing his own stories and writing his own characters, she had supported him wholeheartedly. 

Well, her version of support was gutting ninety percent of what he wrote. But she did it with love. Maybe. That's what Naruto told himself, at least. 

Really, Naruto loved working for her, but when he wasn't thrown into his work, he had a tendency to--

"You're spiraling, Naruto," the blond woman spoke into the phone, "You keep telling everyone Sasuke isn't yours anymore, but even you don't believe that yourself. Chasing after him isn't good for you. You're waking up past noon everyday, sleeping late. You don't see your friends. You forgot a teenager is in your house and under your care." 

"I do have a life outside of thinking about Sasuke," the blond retaliated. "And how come you're allowed to be a hot mess but I'm not?" 

He could feel the woman roll her eyes on the other end of the line and she ignored his question altogether. 

"You can deny it all you want, but you could never lie to me in your stories, Naruto. You don't have to tell me anything when your characters tell me what exactly you're feeling," Tsunade accused. Naruto froze, grappling for a response but finding none. 

"You work so hard to give your characters happy endings, why don't you ever work that hard for your own?" she pleaded. 

It was rare for Tsunade to sound so desperate and Naruto figured that the situation might have been more dire than originally expected. He gripped the phone tighter before responding. While he wanted to yell, he understood that she was genuinely worried about him. 

While his other friends consoled him with out of pity, Tsunade consoled him with genuine concern. 

"Don't you think I've tried? That I'm not trying?" Naruto asked incredulously. 

"I wake up at ten in the morning and I go back to sleep. You know why? Because I can't get out of bed. I don't," the blond bit his lip pinching the bridge of his nose, "I think about the fact that Sasuke wakes up to her every morning. When I get out of bed, I do work and then after that, I eat alone. Then, I think about how Sasuke and her go out to the fanciest hotels and eat expensive dinners. She gets him everyday in every way." 

"Naruto--," Tsunade spoke softly. 

"I get him for one phone call a day and he doesn't want me like that and he never will and I," Naruto admitted, "I just have to get used to living life this way. And he's a great friend, so I'm going to be okay." 

The blond hung his head down in between his legs, scratching at the back of his neck. 

"You could be okay with me," the woman spoke up. 

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked incredulously, his eyes widening. "No offense, granny but I don't swing that way! You are a beautiful and shapely woman but--!" 

"EW! I didn't mean it like _THAT_ , you brat!" Tsunade screamed. 

Naruto was sure his eardrums had burst. But, at least he could be comforted by the fact that she didn't mean what he _thought_ she meant. 

"Then, what _did_ you mean?" the blond asked. 

"Move here? Get out of Konoha? Be closer to the publishing firm. You could start over," Tsunade chuckled, "What you need is a fresh start."

The blond merely dropped the phone from his ear and put it down onto the bed before collapsing onto the sheets. His lips twitched trying to form a response but he didn't have one. 

_Could he really have a fresh start?_

Naruto moved his hand to grab his phone and was quick to tell her what a bad idea this all was. 

_But, was it really?_

He could finally have a life where Sasuke didn't hang over his head. But, would it be worth leaving all of his friends behind? I mean, moving closer to the publishing firm would allow him to be closer to his parents. 

And he could probably get promoted if he moved. Was that something he wanted? Something he could want? Something he didn't let himself want because the thought of leaving Sasuke was like leaving the balcony?

The balcony at the party? 

The coolness. The comfort. The feeling of being free. Uninhibited. 

If he left Sasuke, would all that go away? Would he finally be free of this sadness? 

"What I need is to think about this," the blond curtly replied. 

"Well, you should let me know by the end of the month. That's when the new work cycle begins and I start putting people through the ringer. It would do you well to experience what that's like. You know, if you want to inherit the firm," Tsunade spoke. 

"Inherit the firm? You mean you want me," the blond suddenly felt his mouth grow dry. 

"It has to be you, brat. I don't trust anyone else, especially not Kakashi. God, can you imagine?" the woman snickered on the other end of the line. 

"Thanks, granny. I really will think about it some more. And I better get going. I should get some food in Konohamaru and then get the kid back home," Naruto said before the woman hung up on him, reminding him to take more care of himself. 

While the usually collected author was grateful for the support, his mind was racing with all of these possibilities. Part of him knew that his potential was always squandered chasing after the idea that Sasuke would love him. That he'd leave Sakura somehow. Tried to convince himself that what Sasuke told him was true and he meant it all those years ago and he did now.

After all, how come the two hadn't started a family yet? They both made more than enough income, owned a house in a great neighborhood and had travelled to all the destinations the two had wanted to go in the past. 

Was it Naruto that was stopping them? Sakura did hate him. Hated how much time they spent together, how much they contacted one another. And it was truly enough for Naruto over the past couple years. 

But, it wasn't how the blond had planned to spend the rest of his life. Would moving closer to the firm bring him closer to his aspirations? And would he be able to leave the comfort of his home now? 

Was it home if Sasuke wasn't his? 

After all, how much did Naruto have to sacrifice of himself before Sasuke did any of the sacrificing himself? 

Damn, he was getting...

What did Konohamaru call it again? 

Simpy. 

With that, the blond then decided to cast those thoughts aside and decided to get ready for lunch (or breakfast if you will). 

Also, his breath really smelled bad. 

So, the blond got up to brush his teeth. And while he usually took his phone with him into the bathroom, the blond had decided against it and left it to sit up against the pillows on his bed. 

* * *

**The Eve of Naruto's First College Party**

"Wow, I wonder why there are so many cars in front of that house!" a kid cried out as he looked up at the flurry of cars and the lights and heat and laughter that seemed to emanate from the space. Two other kids joined him as they marveled up at the house, jaws wide as a roll of toilet paper came twirling out from the second story window. 

"Alright, Yahiko. Let's head back inside. You too, Konan and Nagato," a man with long, spiky white hair said as he ushered the three kids inside. But even when he had ushered them inside, the children sat diligently near the window, watching the house across the street with fascination. 

"Do you think that they're drinking," Konan whispered, "Alcohol?" 

Yahiko gasped and the two both turned to Nagato for answers. 

Before the redhead could respond to the other two, Jiraiya spoke up and directed them away from the window. 

"No talking about alcohol! You three don't get to drink until," Jiraiya paused, "eighteen."

"Isn't twenty-one the legal age though?" Konan interjected, looking up at the man with confusion in her bright indigo orbs. 

Nagato also chimed in, "It depends what country we're in too!" 

Yahiko grinned, "Nagato, you're so smart. And we're always going to different countries too!" 

"Yes, very good, Nagato. That's exactly what I was referring to," Jiriaya laughed nervously, loosening the collar of his shirt, "Now, all of you should get to bed. I have some work and loose ends I have to tie up. If any of you get hungry, just heat something up in the fridge. Got it?" 

All three of them nodded as they ran off to their rooms to get ready for bed. 

Meanwhile, Jiraiya retreated back towards his own room and pulled out a hefty stack of files, leafing through them until he pulled out the record he needed to look over. His eyes quickly scanned over the page as he tapped his foot anxiously. 

Even though he liked to believe the kids were still asleep, it was likely they had stayed up talking about the party from across the street. He sighed, closing the record he was working on and walked down the hall being careful not to make any noise. 

The door was open slightly, so he had peeked inside hearing small voices talking to one another "secretly and without Jiraiya knowing." 

"Guys, I miss home," Konan whispered and looked over to Yahiko and Nagato from across the room. The two exchanged looks with one another before speaking up. 

"Konan, we can't go back," Nagato replied. 

"There's no more home to call home," Yahiko explained, "This is our home now. I mean, isn't it enough that we're all together?" Nagato nodded, reaffirming his friend's statement. 

Konan shook her head, "It's not that I don't love being with both of you. It's just that we'll never have a normal life." 

"Don't say that," Nagato uttered and shot the girl a strange glance. He pulled the sheets from on top and him and sat with his legs underneath him on the bed. Konan also made movements to get up from her position laying down as well. 

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Yahiko chimed in. 

Konan didn't respond. 

Soon after, Yahiko climbed down from his bed, throwing his pillows and blankets onto the floor in the center of the room. The blue-haired girl had a confused expression on her face as Nagato also threw his sheets onto the floor and the three of them soon gathered onto the floor. 

"Come on, we can all watch movies. I'll turn off the TV if you two fall asleep," Nagato reassured Konan. Soon, the kids all situated themselves in more comfortable positions on the floor. 

Nagato had wanted a horror movie while Yahiko wanted a romance movie. On the other hand, Konan had wanted a nature documentary. They decided on the latter to make their gloomy friend smile. 

With that, the old man closed the door and strode back into his room to work. 

Jiraiya should have been mad when he found it difficult to wake them up the next morning. Instead, he told them that he decided school was cancelled and they would all get pancakes instead. 

Nagato, being a bit older and more mature than the other two was skeptical. But relented anyways seeing how happy it made his friends. 

Jiraiya hoped for the sake of his family that they could live like this even a bit longer. 

* * *

"Yahiko, wait up!" someone called out to the college student. He promptly turned to look over his shoulder, a look of surprise on his face before he finally recognized who it was. 

"Konan, I thought you had class until 4," he casually mentioned as she caught up to him. The blue-haired woman shook her head and adjusted the strap on her bag nervously. Because she had never been one to get easily flustered, Yahiko fully turned around and gave her a sympathetic look. 

"You skipped class," the orange-haired college student realized. In return, he earned a weak nod. 

"I got a lead on Nagato's location. And before you say anything--," Konan pressed on despite Yahiko's fierce glare, "I know you told me to drop it. But, hear me out." Instead of letting Konan continue, Yahiko moved in order to storm off. His friend struggling to pull him backwards. 

However, the people around them found the situation odd as this was occurring in the middle of a busy lawn on campus. The two were frozen there, with Konan holding onto Yahiko with a sad look. 

A look that Yahiko had been familiar with throughout their entire childhood. A look that would always be a part of her life and a part of their story. A look that shouldn't have been, but was. 

"You promised to stop skipping class. Konan, we don't have to think about that part of our life anymore," Yahiko explained, "Nagato would want us to move on." 

Konan's skin prickled as her friend spoke to her.

"We only have each other left," Yahiko pleaded. The woman's eyes immediately made contact with the ground and she relented. 

It was true and while Yahiko didn't say it often, they were the closest to family they had. And while they had no problems with that, knowing that their family used to be a little bit bigger stung. 

"I heard you made a complete ass of yourself at a party yesterday," Konan chuckled, trying to change the subject as she punched Yahiko in the arm. The man gave her a weak smile in return. 

"For Naruto Uzumaki? Sure," Yahiko grinned mischievously, striking a dumb pose in front of his friend. Well, he didn't end up looking that dumb. Despite him trying his best to look silly, he still managed to look good. 

"You did not!" Konan exclaimed. "How did you manage _that_?" she asked the eager teen. 

"I gotta admit I didn't expect to see him there at all, I knew he lived in this area but apparently he was there to pick up Konohamaru, so I kind of panicked," Yahiko mentioned. "I probably looked dumb, I don't know. And he did turn me down." 

"Ouch! Continue," Konan replied with a pleased expression on her face. 

"Anyways, I made a bet with him," the orange-haired teen said in a victorious stance. 

"This must be love. I know you, so how did you manage to play the poor guy?" Konan asked. 

"He's super into this guy. Married guy, mind you. And he calls him everyday. Obviously, there's some messy history there," Yahiko paused, "I said that if the other guy decides to contact him first for a change, then I give up on him." 

Konan nods. "This definitely sounds like a K-drama, so you need to stop _watching_ those and _study_. But what happens if this guy doesn't contact Naruto?"

"Then, he calls me and gives me a chance," Yahiko responded easily. 

"Hm, and what are his chances of winning?" Konan asked, tucking a strand of blue hair behind her ear and looking up at the college student with raised eyebrows. 

Yahiko replied easily, "Zero." 

"And why would that be the case?" the woman retorted with a fake gasp even going so far as to feign distress by placing a hand over her forehead dramatically. Her friend chuckled at the display and attempted to shove her over. 

"Because I totally blocked this guy's number," Yahiko mentioned. 

"That's kinda fucked up," Konan mentioned. In response, the college student rolled his eyes. 

"Look, this is Naruto Uzumaki we're talking about," Yahiko stressed. 

"He's like a 7," the woman bit her lip and shrugged. 

"A 7?" Yahiko managed to yell. Luckily, more people flooded into their respective lectures and lab sessions so they didn't attract too much attention this time. 

"Yahiko, I love you. So, I have to ask," Konan continued, "What if you're just in love with the idea of Naruto? And this guy really falls for you and you find out you don't love him back? Or! Or what if you two end up together, but your relationship is built on the foundation of a lie?" 

Yahiko stood there and opened his mouth to speak but stopped to think. 

He was glad that Konan had always been there to give him reality checks. And of course the thought had crossed his mind but he couldn't ever see himself not falling for Naruto. In every universe, he could see himself falling in love with Naruto. Regardless of setting, time and place. 

And if Naruto didn't want him, he was okay with that. But he couldn't stand to see him pining after someone that didn't deserve him. 

Suddenly, a ringing from his pocket interrupted their conversation. Yahiko quickly pulled the phone from out of his pocket. 

It had been an unknown number and usually he ignored these calls thinking it was someone trying to sell him computer security or ask for his social security number so he could claim his prize from some online poker tournament. And it wasn't Naruto, right? They still had like 10 hours before he lost the bet and even then there wasn't really a guarantee of him calling him back. 

After all, he really seemed to have just seen him as some kid. 

He spared Konan a quick glance before answering. 

"Hi? Do you need my social security number?" Yahiko asked curiously. 

"No thanks, your credit card number will do just fine," a voice responded from the other end of the line. Yahiko didn't recognize it immediately and wanted to hang up. However, the person seemed to address him so easily so he pressed on further. 

"No way! Is this because I was the one millionth viewer on GoStreamIllegalMoviesRightNow.org?" he exclaimed into the phone. He looked towards Konan who was trying her best to be unimpressed but she was giggling a little. 

"Ah, damn. Must be the wrong person then. I'm looking for the first commenter from the video, I-don't-know-how-to-hit-on-men-so-I-make-conniving-bets-with-them-instead?" the voice seethed. 

"Naruto?" Yahiko asked, surprised. 

"Present," the blond responded. 

"The bet's definitely not over. Why are you calling me?" Yahiko asked curiously. 

_I mean, did it really matter if the blond was calling him anyways? Unless, it was to call off the bet..._

"Don't worry, I'm not calling off the bet or anything. When I make promises, I keep them," Naruto reassured the college student. Yahiko let out a sigh of relief. 

"Then, you're calling me because you totally can't resist me and you want to see me. Got it, I'm on my way," Yahiko spoke into the phone. 

"Wait, let me put some clothes on first then. Or would you rather I wore nothing?" Naruto responded with a flirty tone and even though he was trying to be cool, Yahiko could feel his ears heating up from the suggestive tone Naruto was using. 

"Wha--?" Yahiko spluttered, not even being able to form a coherent sentence. 

"I'm kidding. Please don't look into that, millenial," Naruto regarded. "I'm calling because I chatted with Konohamaru for a bit and he thinks it would be a good idea to get to know you first. After all, you helped me out when you didn't even know me. But also, wouldn't it hurt more to get to know you first and then reject you even after knowing you? That's a..." the blond trailed off. 

"Yikes," Yahiko responded. 

"Exactly. I don't know your schedule or anything but given you're obsessed with me, we could meet up today," Naruto responded casually. Yahiko's eyes widened and he looked over at Konan excitedly. 

She kept mouthing words to him but he was so in shock, he didn't know what to say. 

"I'll take your silence as a no. Because if it's not a yes, it's a no. Got it?" Naruto scolded him. 

"Wait! No, I mean yes. Yes, meaning I am free today. Let's meet up," Yahiko panicked. He wasn't actually free but he would do anything to get on Naruto's good side. 

Was this really happening? Was he going on a date? Or potentially a date, with Naruto Uzumaki? 

"Great. How about I pick you up from campus and we can have dinner later? And this isn't a date or anything. Just think of it as me thanking you for yesterday's help and we don't talk about the bet at dinner," Naruto said quickly before hanging up. 

Yahiko just stared at the phone afterwards before putting it down and turning towards his friend. 

"So?" Konan asked, grabbing at Yahiko's shoulders. "What happened? Was that--!" 

And that's about the moment where Yahiko fell over, collapsing onto the ground. 

Konan was sure she was in a romantic comedy. 

* * *

"Konohamaru, Konohamaru," Naruto shook the college student lightly, trying to wake him up. The teen merely swatted his arm away and pulled the spare blanket Naruto had draped over him last night over his head and dug his head into the couch pillows. 

"Asuma," Naruto sung out, "Konohamaru is so totally trashed on the couch right now because he totally went to a party even though he has a final on Saturday!" 

Konohamaru immediately shot up, shrieking, "Not cool, Uncle Naruto! What the fuck, double crosser!" He calmed down once he saw Naruto standing there, all smug. So, he smacked him with a pillow from the couch. 

Hastily, Naruto caught the pillow and threw it back at the teen. 

"Fold the blankets and brush your teeth or something, we're going out to eat lunch before I drop you off," Naruto explained as he fixed the pillows on the couch, collecting the water bottle and painkillers and handing them to the teen. 

"And take these," the blond raised a brow. 

Reluctantly, Konohamaru took them and tilted his head backwards drinking about half of the bottle. 

"Ichiraku's is not hangover food," Konohamaru muttered before getting up to head to the bathroom. 

Naruto often watched the child when he was younger and the responsibility of watching him was still being worked out by the Sarutobis after his grandfather and Asuma's father had passed away. Understandably, the two were close and the kid could make his way around the house. 

"Well, you said it, not me! So, Ichiraku's it is," Naruto whistled as he grabbed his car keys. He inspected his clothes before heading back out with Konohamaru soon following behind. 

"Okay, fine. As long as you're paying and I can get anything I want," Konohamaru decided before Naruto closed the door behind them. "I'm a college student and you're not so this is the way it has to be unfortunately. I don't make the rules." 

"Fine, you wore me down," Naruto relented, not having put up any semblance of a fight anyways. 

The drive there was pretty silent, Konohamaru asking Naruto about work and Naruto asking Konohamaru about school. Which was why it was pretty quiet. Luckily, there weren't that many cars on the road, so at the very least, the two arrived at the ramen restaurant quickly. 

As they settled down in the restaurant, Naruto greeted the owner and his daughter, Ayame, cheerily. Konohamaru bowed his head politely before taking a seat across the table from Naruto. 

They chose a spot in the corner since the restaurant was moderately busy and the two hadn't wanted to attract any unwanted attention. The warm lighting and the simple decor of the space felt comforting to Naruto. He grabbed some chopsticks from the container in the middle of the table and hastily broke them apart out of habit. 

"You're such a lightweight, which is weird because your old man could really drink," Naruto casually mentioned. 

Konohamaru scoffed, "Speak for yourself, you can't drink unless you're chasing with a gallon of Wintermelon Milk Tea. Isn't milk and alcohol like a bad combination too?" 

"It's not my fault alcohol tastes bad, kid. Parties are definitely not my scene. Speaking of which, do you know a Yahiko?" Naruto asked, changing the subject. 

"Oh, a guy catch your eye whose name doesn't rhyme with Basuke?" Konohamaru asked, taking a swig of water. 

Suddenly, Ayame walked over to the table and asked for their orders. 

Naruto had asked for a Large Miso Ramen with extra pork and bamboo shoots while Konohamaru asked for anything deep fried with extra sauce. After she had walked off and they thanked her, Naruto turned back to the kid with a quirked brow. 

"It's not anything like that. Also, how do you even know about that? You're like eleven," Naruto said, tracing the wooden lines on the table with his finger. 

"Everyone knows about you and Sasuke. I knew about it when I _was_ eleven. Anyways, I heard from Moegi who heard from someone from his girlfriend from her sister from her boyfriend that Yahiko made a deal with you," the teen said. 

"And? Other than me being completely lost for the first 95% of that sentence, why does the last 5% not surprise me at all?" Naruto asked incredulously, wanting to dig into his food already. 

"Yahiko never makes deals. Not unless he really wants something," Konohamaru raised a brow, "Or in this case, _someone_." 

"Please," Naruto muttered. 

Why was this kid so confident he was going to win this bet anyways? He was sure Sasuke was going to call him. His friend was probably just busy at work. 

The college teen scooted his chair forwards. 

"Look, Naruto. You're here with your nephew. At Ichiraku's. On a Friday night," he started. 

"And your point is? That I'm unhappy? I'm unusually kind for paying for your dinner?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide. He smacked down his chopsticks against the table. The teen jumped backwards. 

"You want to live the rest of your life pining after a married man? Your friends are all super worried about you. And your family, Naru," Konohamaru said, relaxing his shoulders. 

Naruto didn't respond. 

"You're not the only person you're hurting, Naruto. Yahiko is a great guy. He tutored me for my Computer Science class. He's the smartest guy ever. He loves to read and write, all that artsy stuff you're into. Great music taste, he's attractive. And I've heard from some people, he's great in--," Konohamaru stopped talking as food was plopped down in between them. 

Naruto peered down at his ramen, the broth was steamy and hot, the bowl filled to the brim with noodles, garlic, wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green onions, and extra tender and flavorful pork. With a perfectly boiled ramen egg on the side. 

Meanwhile, Konohamaru had a warm bowl of deep-fried, crispy chicken katsu over a bed of warm rice and drizzled with an appetizing sauce. 

But, Naruto didn't feel so hungry anymore. Did his self-destructive behavior really hurt other people? Did it hurt Sasuke? 

"He's a good guy, Naruto. No guy in it for a quick fuck would have helped someone put their drunk nephew into their car. And I heard that he's starting some really big internship after he graduates at a large corporation, he's not a kid. I'm a kid, so I know he's not a kid," Konohamaru said before taking a large bite of his food. 

"Have I hurt you, Konohamaru? With Sasuke? With everything?" Naruto asked aloud. 

"Naruto," Konohamaru paused. He reached out to grab the older man's hand and offered him a small smile. "You know you could never hurt me. It's just hard seeing you throw the best parts of yourself away _without even realizing it,_ too! And all because, you're holding out this impossible hope that you and Sasuke end up together. We don't see you and even when we do, it's not the same. Not like how it was before Sakura." 

Naruto froze at the mention of Sakura's name. 

"Give Yahiko a chance? For me?" Konohamaru pleaded. 

"Damn," Naruto said aloud. 

"Yeah, no kidding. This is amazing," the teen replied before taking another bite, chomping into it monstruously. 

"No, not that. I don't want to live the rest of my life chasing after Sasuke, right? And you said I should get to know Yahiko before turning him down," the blond uttered. 

"Well, I didn't say to turn him down. You really could have a healthy relationship that gives the both of you a lot of fulfillment and happiness," the teen responded casually. 

"You're absolutely right, Kono. I should move on and there are plenty of potential loves of my life out there. Lives? Life. Life?" Naruto paused to think. 

"So, you'll call him?" the teen asked excitedly. 

"Yeah. The beginning of my romantic comedy plot starts now," Naruto spoke, taking out his phone. 

However, instead of calling anyone, the blond put his phone back in his pocket. 

"What the hell, man? You said you were gonna call him!" Konohamaru cried out. 

"You know, kid? You're pretty mean even when you're not drunk! And for your information, I will. After my ramen," the blond steadily replied before slurping up a mouthful. 

Which left Konohamaru to wonder what Yahiko, the ultra-hot, genius popular hotshot saw in his dorky uncle. 

* * *

_To Summer,_

_When I first met you, I knew that you were the type of person who wanted to be in love your whole life. So, naturally, I thought your jubilance and your affection would be fleeting._ _Boy, was I wrong._

_When you love, it's with everything you have. It's like every cell in your body is committed to the idea you could stitch yourself into somebody's very being. And while I thought your desire to be in love would trick you into falling for everything and anyone around you, I was wrong._

_You like to hide it in your writing and in your characters, but you don't fall in love easily at all. You talk to everyone, but I don't think you listen to everyone. Sounds bad, but it's true. I have to run something by you a hundred times before you respond._

_I'll even say something sexy and you're like "What? Sorry, I was eating ramen."_

_So, you can understand why it was a little hard to commit to you at the beginning. But, when I let myself fall for you, it was hard. I think I fell faster than you in fact. I wanted to be right about you before I met you too. I wanted to think I knew you because that's the type of person I am._

_But you want the whole world to know who you are and you're so bright and brilliant. So when I finally had your attention, it was like I was being showered in spotlight that I don't deserve. Like your big, gracious blue eyes were meant for someone who meant more to the world than I do. And I still wanted you. I still will always want you._

_I realize now, that was wrong. It was wrong of me to think you could ever belong to me._

_On the other hand, I'm yours._

_No matter what. The world can go on without me. But you? God, you're a different story. I can't even imagine a world without you. Mostly because I don't want to. But also because when I graze the tips of my fingers against your cheeks, your eyelids, your lips... I don't want to leave this Earth without you on it. I don't want to be here without you._

_Every memory I have, I want you to be there. I know, it's selfish and it's a lot to ask for. And all I can offer is my own soul in return, which isn't a lot. It's nothing compared to yours._

_What I'm trying to say is, that I'm sorry I ever thought your love was shallow. I know now more than anything that your love is everything and everywhere. And I'm grateful I even got a millionth of it. Maybe more._

_Yours,_

_Fall_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you all so much for feedback! 
> 
> ALSO, this chapter was so hard to write. And I PROMISE a lot of Sasuke and Naruto in the next chapter!


	3. To Summer, You Left Me on Read

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke's marriage is in danger of falling apart due to Sakura's insecurities about her husband and Naruto's past. Meanwhile, a new intern is prepared to stir up trouble at Sasuke's workplace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter this time around, focused around Sasuke!

_Warm._ That’s how Sasuke felt as he smoothed down the hairs at the nape of Naruto’s neck as they laid down beside one another on Naruto’s bed in his dorm room.

The blond shifted a bit as Sasuke’s hand travelled down the curvature of his tanned, slender back muscles and Sasuke jolted backwards.

The raven relented and drew his hand back, turning over on his side to grab a cigarette from the back pocket of his jeans which had been strewn about the floor.

The horrid orange blanket that covered the two of them slipped down below his abdomen as he reached over, revealing sinewy muscles and smooth skin.

 _Damn._ Where was his lighter? Before he could fish it out of the other pocket, he felt a pair of arms reach around his chest, shivering as cold fingers made contact with his warm skin.

“No smoking in my dorm room. You promised,” Naruto said sleepily. The blond loosened his grip around Sasuke and the older of the two turned towards the latter.

“It’s not like you’re going to get in trouble. Who’s going to tell on you? Your neighbor? He had a hard time keeping his eyes off you and his business to himself,” Sasuke gritted out as he pinned Naruto to the bed.

“Gaara? Oh my gosh, please don’t even say that. We’re just friends,” Naruto nodded off to the side, trying to avoid Sasuke’s intense gaze.

And his morning breath.

Sasuke relented, and sat back against the headboard with Naruto cuddling up to his side, his head against the raven’s shoulder and his arm hooked in his own.

The blond let out a satisfied sigh.

 _Even though he had just woken up, Naruto had an unusual energy_ , Sasuke reminded himself.

Or maybe it was because they were at it until 3 am. Doing _very_ wholesome activities. If _wholesome_ meant putting _some things_ in _some holes_.

Which it didn’t.

Naruto very much so wanted to wait until he was ready and Sasuke had respected that. So, they went to about third base before the blond wormed his way out of the raven’s grip and pulled on a pair of boxers.

And although Sasuke was left feeling somewhat _unfulfilled_ , he had to remind himself that sometimes the best messing around happens because you have no expectations.

But, looking at Naruto’s body, it was hard to not have expectations.

Sasuke stretched out his arms, unlinking his own arm from Naruto’s and let out an enormous yawn. The two were up until 5 am because Naruto wanted to watch a movie he was sure wasn’t going to make his laptop crash if he downloaded it. Anyways, the two were lucky Naruto was in a single.

Very.

Because Naruto convinced himself he could watch horror movies when he really couldn’t bear it. And screamed into Sasuke’s ear every time the man tried to go to sleep.

Anyways, Naruto spoke up, “Want to go to the library after lecture today?”

“Naruto, you know I don’t--,” Sasuke trailed off, not knowing what to tell him.

While the blond was cute, Sasuke wasn’t looking for that right now. Actually, he doubted he would ever be looking for that.

And although he didn’t want that blond like that, it didn’t make him a bad person to just want to have some fun, right?

“It’s not a date, we’ll just be two friends studying together in the library. Even though you don’t really need to study and just get good grades all the time,” Naruto replied.

While that was indeed true, he did like spending time with the blond.

However, he didn’t want to give Naruto any ideas.

“Naruto, we’ve been over this already,” Sasuke urged the blond. Naruto turned away from him, laying back down on his side.

“I’ll just ask Gaara or something. He mentioned that there was this great study spot in the library where no one ever goes. And it’s like this sound proof room with no windows and--,” Naruto was cut off by Sasuke who had grabbed the blond’s shoulders and fervently pressed his lips against his own.

The blond moaned into the kiss, his eyes fluttering closed as Sasuke ran his tongue along his bottom lip before eventually pushing Naruto’s tongue against his own.

When the two finally broke apart, Sasuke sat back up again and pulled Naruto along with him.

Dazed, Naruto gave Sasuke a questioning look.

“What was _that_ for?” Naruto asked. “Not like it wasn’t nice, but I would like some warning next time. Or are spontaneous kisses just your thing?” the blond chuckled as he ran his hands up and down Sasuke’s chest, biting his lower lip suggestively.

The raven rolled his eyes as he pulled Naruto on top of him, admiring the way Naruto’s eyes sparkled even in the dim light of his dorm room.

While Sasuke didn’t get jealous, he could admit maybe he was 10% jealous at the situation. Something about the blond and the redhead alone in the room felt uneasy.

“You’re not going to that room,” Sasuke said. “People have sex there and it’s gross.”

“Have you have sex in that room?” the blond asked apprehensively.

_Yes. Probably like, 4 or 5 times._

Naruto quirked an eyebrow.

_Not like he was counting._

“That’s not the point,” Sasuke retaliated.

“Well, then why can’t I have sex in that room?” the blond asked, tilting his head. Even though Sasuke knew that the blond knew more than he was letting on, he sighed and accepted defeat.

“Because you’re studying with me today and not with Gaara and not in that room,” Sasuke mentioned.

“Now, let’s get up before I change my mind about ravishing you again,” the raven muttered against Naruto’s collar, tickling the blond, making him jolt up and laugh at Sasuke’s movements.

Sasuke’s lips ghosted against the skin behind Naruto’s ear, licking the shell of his ear before nibbling on it playfully.

“Stop! Stop! You know I’m ticklish, I’ll swipe you for lunch if you quit that!” Naruto yelled as he arched his back away from Sasuke’s ministrations.

“No, would rather do this than eat shitty school food,” the raven said as he kissed the skin from underneath the blond’s jaw all the way to his collarbones.

Sasuke was grateful his life got to be this simple for the meantime.

* * *

  _9 years later..._

“How is my fried octopus? I know it’s your favorite, so I made you extra,” Sakura smiled as she looked over at her husband who sat across the dining table from her.

The woman looked charming with her short, pink hair, large emerald eyes and soft, full lips. She always had on minimal makeup so as to not feel plain, but she hardly needed it.

The woman also had great fashion sense and was styled in comfortable and casual clothing. Or, what she had considered to be casual wear seeing that her tastes could be a bit expensive at times.

However, something about her smile was forced which prompted Sasuke to think that this was another meal that was cooked by one of her friends rather than her. Nevertheless, he wanted to make her feel appreciated.

“It’s great, you should try some,” he mentioned and took another bite. Sakura then helped herself to another helping before cutting her food into smaller bites and chewing them slowly.

Sasuke briefly wondered what it would be like to talk at the dinner table as the two sat in silence.

“Remember our trip to Singapore? We should do that again,” Sasuke spoke. His wife quickly nodded and swallowed her food before speaking.

“This summer, I kind of wanted to visit my parents,” she admitted shyly. “Come with, they miss you.”

“I’ll check my work schedule and then we’ll make it happen,” Sasuke replied. He reached over to grab a pork bun.

“Naruto hasn’t called you in a while,” Sakura said, looking straight ahead at her husband. In turn, Sasuke froze at the mention of his name.

“Yeah, he hasn’t, he must be busy writing another book. I would hate to bother him,” Sasuke laughed nervously. Discreetly, he reached for the bottle of soju between them. However, Sakura grabbed it instead, pouring almost half the bottle into her wine glass.

Sasuke gulped.

“Can we talk about it?” Sakura asked.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Sasuke answered.

“Cut the bullshit, Sasuke. And excuse my language, but you need to open up about what the fuck is going on between you two,” Sakura yelled from across the table.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the raven turned his head away from his wife.

“I--,” Sakura choked, “I can’t even think about starting a family with you knowing that he’s obsessed with you in every possible way. I need to know, some part of me needs to be convinced that you don’t think about him that way anymore!”

“I don’t, okay?” Sasuke stood up from his seated position. He clenched his fists at his side and turned to look away from his wife. “It was a long time ago. He was my past, but you and our family, that’s the future I want. I mean it.”

 _Are you happy now_? he thought to himself.

“I want to renew our vows,” Sakura stated.

“Anything you want,” the raven responded, sitting back down, his wife seemingly had calmed down.

“And I like Naruto, okay? I just don’t know how to feel when you’re that close to him still considering your history,” Sakura sighed, “But when you guys talk, I want to be there. I want to know that there’s nothing going on between you two anymore. And then we can start our family.”

Sasuke nodded, understanding where she his wife was coming from. And he felt guilty. After that, the two continued to eat in silence.

Not knowing what to say when Sasuke’s phone went off and them not knowing whether or not it was Naruto.

* * *

Later that day, Sasuke headed to work. He felt uncomfortable staying at home and Sakura told him that she could start planning for the ceremony for renewing their vows while he was away.

Originally, Sasuke had taken a day off since it was just the day the new interns were coming into work and usually Obito, Sasuke's uncle and current CEO, handled that.

The raven grabbed a coffee from the coffee shop just around the corner of the bulding where he worked before he headed back.

Clad in his sharp business suit and armed with his impeccably styled dark spikes, Sasuke leaned forward pressing onto the 31st floor of the building where his office was.

If Sasuke could have anything, he wanted the whole floor to himself. Maybe he could even have his own business one day. Where no one would tell him what to do or when to show up and how to do things. 

_Maybe they could finally close that deal with--_

Immediately, the Uchiha disregarded the thought. 

_Useless._

_Whimsical._

_Waste._

And then proceeded to locate his office. 

_Dreams are for people who have nothing else. And you have everything you could possibly want._

* * *

**Eve of Sasuke's 4th Birthday**

The night was cool. 

But his blanket was warm, so Sasuke was more grateful than ever. The soft fabric sewn together by his mother because the store didn't have a design he liked felt smooth against his skin. 

The blanket was fairly thin, but had a giant picture of a green dinosaur on it that his mother had designed, decorated and sewn on her own. He sure was lucky to have a mom like her. 

Sasuke always felt grateful. 

Especially for her shortbread cookies. Because even though Sasuke was little and a kid, he didn't like sweets. And his mom always wanted Sasuke to be happy. 

The boy glanced up at his mother who was sitting on the bed beside him. 

She had just closed the book she read him that night. 

The story had something to do with a prince. He thinks. He didn't really remember what happened in the middle of stories. Really just the end and the beginning. So, his mom always helped him with book reports. 

Sasuke briefly wondered if other moms did that for their kids as well. 

Probably not Kankuro's mom. 

He always did really bad on his book reports. 

"Did you like your story, Sasuke?" the woman asked Sasuke with a gentle smile. 

Sleek, black bangs framed her face perfectly, her dark eyes shining. Sasuke wanted to be as beautiful as her one day. He was sure of it. 

"It was okay," Sasuke began. 

"Just okay?" his mother asked, scooting closer to the boy. 

"Yeah, but if you're reading, then that's okay," Sasuke mentioned, before snuggling underneath a plethora of blankets and pillows. 

"Oh? Why is that?" she asked. 

"Because that means I get to be with you for every word," the child spoke up. 

Sasuke's mother chuckled before tucking Sasuke into the bed, much to a strange mix of embarrassment and excitement on Sasuke's part. 

"That's sweet of you to say, my love," she replied before kissing Sasuke on the forehead and getting up to leave. 

The next morning, she was gone. 

And Sasuke was sure the hole in his heart could never be filled. 

* * *

Unfortunately, Obito would be holding the new training workshop for the new interns on his floor.

Convinced Obito was doing it just to bug him, Sasuke tried his best to make it to his office as quickly as possible.

Unlike everyone else’s office which had clear glass and open windows, Sasuke’s was in the corner with minimal windows and absolutely no clear glass. He liked his privacy especially when he was at work.

Just as he was about to open the door, he felt Obito latch onto his shoulder. Against his will, he was spun around to meet the curious eyes of what felt like hundred interns.

“Kiddo, what great timing! We’ve just finished the first phase of training,” the Uchiha said with an evil grin on his face.

Sasuke would make a mental note to put flour in his briefcase later this week. Maybe he could pin it on one of the interns too.

“Peachy. Well, Obito mentioned that this year had the most competitive applicant pool in the history of this program, so I applaud all of you for making it this far,” the raven nodded, adjusting the hem on his sleeve.

Everyone marveled at the Uchiha as he spoke even when Sasuke would prefer the spotlight not be on him.

“Uncle, you said one of the interns would be working very closely with me? Correct?” the raven clarified as he looked out into the crowd.

“Ah,” Obito said as he realized what Sasuke meant, “Yes, he’s actually about to graduate and be hired full-time actually. He’ll be working on the software for our next update. Top of his class, great references, no criminal record. Well, if being handsome counts as a crime, then--,” his uncle said as laughter erupted from the group.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, a boy walked up to Sasuke with a determined look in his eyes.

The kid had spiky orange hair, very much like a certain dobe he knew. He also had scorched, amber eyes and pleasantly symmetrical features.

He had a couple piercings here and there and he was certain he didn’t wear most of those to his interview. It was hard for Sasuke to believe that this kid was going to be on the team permanently.

Especially because he had just applied for a temporary spring internship.

Which meant Obito really saw a lot of potential in this kid which didn’t happen all that often.

But, did he really trust his uncle's judgement? After all, his uncle liked licorice. 

“My name is Yahiko. Nice to meet you sir,” the man said as he bowed his head politely. The raven quirked his lip and nodded.

“Nice to meet you, Yahiko. I look forward to working with you,” Sasuke mentioned. 

With that, the two walked away from each other. The two didn’t bother to spare a glance over their shoulder as they marched into their own respective offices.

Sasuke couldn’t help but feel like a storm was coming.

Yahiko couldn’t wait.

* * *

_To Summer,_

_All my life, I knew where it was headed. I was going to work for a corporation that owned my soul because that’s what I thought I needed. And I worked towards that._

_I really thought falling in love was for losers. Like love was all that poor people could afford at the end of the day._

_I know better now. More than anyone._

_Love is a luxury. And you pay for it with your soul._

_Your second book is my favorite._

_The main character reminds me a lot of you._

_Bright. Cheery. Warm._

_But she also had a lot of sadness. There was a lot of pain behind her words. And she wasn’t sad like how people are sad in the movies. She was sad like how you’re sad._

_When you smile, I can tell you’re straining your face, you’re in the room but you aren’t present. Your eyes. They’re blue, but they don’t shine like they normally do. You always pretend to be happy for other people._

_I want you to know that you deserve to be happy for you._

_I’m sorry I took that away from you. I know that it’s not enough to offer it back to you after all this time, but you do. You deserve to be happy for you. You deserve to feel like you’re worth living and breathing and loving and creating and working and crying and eating and sleeping, you’re worth everything you want to do and everything you don’t._

_And I’m sorry for all the pain you went through and I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry for a lot of things._

_I want to say I agree with the fact that pain is a powerful teacher. But, I don’t think pain needs to be there at all._

_It didn’t have to be there with us._

_We were an us._

_And I made it so we weren’t anymore._

_And that’s the thing I’m most sorry about._

_Yours,_

_Fall_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the positive feedback, comment and kudos. I really love reading all your thoughts and I promise I am doing my best to think through plot holes LOL 
> 
> sidenote: i'm not sure how long this fic will be, aiming for it be around 15 chapters? 
> 
> might be more i love drama


	4. Lost in the Mail, Yours Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto convinces himself he's not having fun on a date. Sasuke goes to Itachi for advice. And Yahiko? Poor guy is just trying to survive college

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHH SORRY THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG 
> 
> School has been very hectic, but here is an update! Also, I highkey made a playlist for this fic like hmu if you like jams

Naruto wasn't nervous. There was nothing he had to lose from this hour (hour and half, give or take) he was spending with the college student. I mean, part of him was here for Konohamaru but he couldn't deny the little part of him who was here because he might have wanted to be here. 

It wasn't like Naruto was going to pretend Yahiko wasn't gorgeous. Maybe not Sasuke gorgeous. But he considered Sasuke to be slightly more of an acquired taste. While Sasuke was a rich boy who was super refined, he looked too intimidating to ever pursue. 

Meanwhile, Yahiko looked like a bad boy. He had piercings and spiked orange hair and intense, amber eyes as well as a toned physique and a nice build. However, Yahiko never really came off as intimidating. Rather, Yahiko came off as the type of guy to befriend anyone he met. 

Bad boy with a heart of gold. 

Instead, Naruto pretended _that_ wasn't attractive. And those archetypes weren't his weakness. As if the characters in his books weren't deliberately written this way. 

In general, he kind of swore off romance after Sasuke, believing that no one could ever replace the Uchiha in his heart. And as much as he wanted to be proven wrong, he didn't want to lose anything anymore. Or anyone. Naruto wasn't afraid of giving Yahiko false hope. Instead, he was afraid of giving himself false hope. 

The blond sighed as he reached for his glass of water, his hand unusually shaky. 

Weird. 

Well, to be fair, Naruto hadn't been on a date since wearing denim on denim was not only socially acceptable, but fashionable. So, what if he was a little nervous? He didn't really have time to process anything before he decided to spontaneously embark on this "date." Naruto just went and did it, so he assumed that these were the consequences. 

With that, Naruto admitted to himself:

He was nervous. 

 **But** , it wasn't like his date wasn't screeching internally. He could have sworn if Yahiko inhaled any air, he would probably implode. His face was an unnatural shade of red and his cheeks slightly puffy as if he was trying to breathe underwater.

Visible sweat drops streamed down the college student's forehead in what seemed to be hundreds as he stared down at the menu with such an intensity that he was sure it would burn through the laminated plastic. Or the picture of the avocado toast. 

Shit, was Naruto liable if this kid croaked right here, right now? 

"So, what are you going to get?" Naruto asked with a slight smile on his face in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood. 

Yahiko gulped. 

"I was thinking of getting the cod. W-What about you?" the college student stuttered. 

Naruto sighed, biting his lip. 

"Let's try something," Naruto answered, ignoring Yahiko's question.

"Huh?" the college student sputtered back. 

"You're so nervous, I'm actually a little bit afraid you'll fall apart if this continues any longer," Naruto laughed. The blond reached over to the table next to him and grabbed some sugar and salt packets. 

"What are those for?" Yahiko asked, scooting in closer. He smiled inwardly as he looked up into Naruto's genuine blue orbs. Meanwhile, the blond hadn't seemed to notice his ogling. 

Yahiko settled on that being okay for the most part. 

Naruto leaned forward as he explained, "I'm going to tell you something and then if it's a lie, you have to eat the packet that is in my left hand and if it's the truth, then you eat the packet in my right hand. See where I'm going with this?" 

Yahiko snickered, "You're an interesting guy. 2 rounds?" 

"You're on," Naruto replied back easily as he leaned backwards in his seat. 

Naruto seemed to take his time thinking up a proper statement, but soon found one he could commit to as Yahiko saw the visible a-ha! moment appear on the blond's eager face. 

"I've written two books," Naruto spoke. 

While the blond expected Yahiko to pause, he answered almost immediately which effectively threw Naruto off guard. 

"False," Yahiko barked back with a smirk on his face. He took Naruto's hand in his own and the blond blushed at the contact. He immediately unfurled his hand and Yahiko tore open the packet and downed it in an instant. 

"Blegh!" the college student yelled. 

It was loud enough so that other patrons in the restaurant had turned around, a kid even dropping his toy on the ground as everyone froze. 

"I know I'm right! Why the hell did you give me the salt?" Yahiko grabbed his water, dipping his tongue into it hoping osmosis would somehow take effect. Naruto neglected to notice how sexual the act had looked in favor of bursting out in laughter. 

While Naruto didn't really know the kid, it was funny to see how outlandishly he had reacted to the packet of salt. 

"Dumbass, I said the rules at the beginning, the right hand is the sugar," Naruto rolled his eyes momentarily. "Now, your turn, before we both die of shame in this restaurant." 

As if on cue, the people surrounding them had turned back to doing whatever it was that they were doing and handed Yahiko the packet of sugar. 

"I pooped in my supervisor's private bathroom," Yahiko spoke, trying to hold in his laughter. Naruto merely guffawed, but leaned backwards. Trying to think of an answer. 

"That's false," Naruto spoke as he reached for Yahiko's left hand, "You're smart. You wouldn't risk your job over something like that." 

The college student raised a brow as he slipped Naruto the packet in his right hand. The blond figured the kid was trying to play with him and so before he could down the packet of sugar, he snatched the one in his opposite hand. Yahiko laughed as Naruto threw it down and a fit of coughing erupted from the table. 

"You little shit! You so pranked me, I was right the first time!" Naruto shouted as he reached for this glass of water. 

"I'm starting to like this game. Foolishness looks good on you," Yahiko grinned and dropped his shoulders in a relaxed position after fits of laughter. Inwardly, Naruto smiled at the statement. 

He couldn't remember the last time he felt like anything had looked good on him. And he was glad Yahiko was finally coming out of his shell. 

"I can't believe you really did that. How are you not super fired right now?" Naruto coughed. The man across from him ran his fingertips along the edge of the table absentmindedly before peering back up at the blond. 

"Uh, because I blamed the jerk who kept harassing the women in the office," Yahiko replied easily. Naruto nodded, affirming Yahiko's actions. The college student shifted his attention to the waitress walking by, prepared to take their order. His eyes shifted towards the blond cautiously before Naruto spoke up. 

"We can finish the game after dinner, I'm just glad you're more relaxed," Naruto reassured Yahiko. He nodded in response and flipped open the menu. 

"What would you like?" the waitress asked as she smiled down at the two. Yahiko shrugged and let Naruto go first after the two exchanged wary glances. 

The blond quirked his lip to the side before speaking, "Could I get the roasted duck, but substitute the white rice with brown rice?" Naruto asked politely. The waitress nodded and quickly made note of it on her notepad. 

"I think I'll get the braised short ribs with roasted vegetables," Yahiko mentioned. 

After the waitress had recorded their answers, they turned towards one another before smiling. 

"And where were we?" Yahiko asked, grabbing another sugar packet from the table and sending the blond a devious grin.

Meanwhile, Naruto averted his eyes, ignoring the fluttering sensation in his chest he thought he could only feel for Sasuke. Nevertheless, the blond stared up at Yahiko with a faint smile. 

* * *

**Eve of Naruto's Second College Party**

Naruto's dad was kind of the mayor of Konoha. And by kind of, he meant the actual mayor of Konoha. And because of that, Naruto went to a private school where he felt like everyone wanted to be his friend for the wrong reason. For 12 years. 

So, Naruto didn't have friends. 

Well, at least from school.  

Instead, Naruto made friends with people that his dad made him be friends with. 

Ino Yamanaka, the daughter of the CEO of the biggest pharmaceutical company in Japan. 

Kiba Inuzuka, the son of the founder of the most internationally acclaimed dog show competition, hosting over 40 countries and yielding over 200 million views worldwide. 

Then, Hinata Hyuuga. The heiress to a $6 billion fortune as she was the daughter of Hiashi Hyuuga, the CEO of Hyuuga Enterprises. A giant monopoly that specialized in international trade. As well as other dealings that the family preferred not to disclose. 

Nevertheless, he loved his friends. Well, most of them. Kiba could be infuriating sometimes. 

So, this party was unlike his first. Very much unlike his first, in fact. Because it was an Ino Yamanaka party and that meant if your family wasn't super famous or rich, you weren't invited. 

As classist as it was, Naruto couldn't not show up. Mostly because Ino would find a way to ignore him for weeks on end and attempt to get some bad publicity on the Namikaze family. As if there wasn't already enough bad publicity either. 

It wasn't like Naruto didn't like Ino's parties though. They were certainly extravagant, putting other affairs to shame. Not only was the party held on a private island owned by the Yamanaka family on one of their many Paradise resorts, there was catering by the Akimichi family. 

While their ramen didn't even come close to Teuchi and Ayame's at Ichiraku's, the Akimichi family excelled at everything else. They had cooked for nearly all his friends and the Namikaze family had hired them to cater dinners as well. 

Tables that stretched for ages across pristine marble tiles contained a number of different fine delicacies and dishes such as creamy and cheesy risotto, grilled lobster, spring rolls stuffed with pork and fresh vegetables, fresh sushi, savory crepes and roasted duck as well as a massive array of desserts as well. 

There was also a massive chocolate fountain in the middle of the venue he was convinced Ino had bought especially for this occasion. And then filled it with chocolate made from fermented cacao beans. 

Currently, Naruto was scarfing down fresh blueberry galettes topped with fresh vanilla cream on the bottom row of the stairs. 

Sure, Naruto liked socializing with people and being the life of the party, but he was waiting for a message from Sasuke on his pager. While Naruto affectionately referred to the boy as his "boyfriend," Sasuke never talked about what they actually were. 

If they could see other people, even. 

Naruto feared if he brought it up, he would lose him and so he didn't say anything despite him desperately wanting to. 

Suddenly, applause and cheers erupted from down the hall where people had been drinking and cheering as Ino was announcing to everyone how charitable her family was and their plans for the future. "Naruto," a voice sounded. 

The blond looked up and got up from the stairs. It was his father. And he supposed he had to listen to his father. 

"I'd like for you to meet someone. It's unlike you to be away from everyone, don't you think?" Minato chuckled. While Naruto agreed, he was glum that Sasuke still hadn't contacted him. He sincerely hoped that it wasn't because Sasuke thought he was too clingy or anything. 

But he couldn't help but want to be with the Uchiha right now. 

Minato led them down the hall where they ran into Kushina, who had been hanging out with the other adults while their rich kids were partying in the other room consuming endless amounts of alcohol and golden kiwi fruit tarts. 

His mother pulled him into a tight hug, her dangling earring briefly getting stuck in Naruto's hair before they pulled away. She offered him a sip of her champagne, the lipstick around the rim made him giggle a bit. 

He wondered if she was tipsy. 

"Hi Naru, Minato, sweeties," Kushina slurred. Minato grinned as he put an affectionate arm around his wife. 

"Alright, I'll be taking that," Minato assured his wife, setting the glass of champagne on a nearby counter. He turned towards Naruto. "Let's get going." Naruto nodded and followed his parents further into the study. There, they saw Fugaku inside, a notable shareholder in Yamanaka Pharmaceutical as well as the head of operations of the largest chain of banks in the world. 

While Minato spoke of him little considering he had never agreed with how he dealt business and who he dealt it with, Naruto knew of him. The blond had never actually seen Fugaku before and to be honest, Naruto imagined him to be a little older and cranky. 

Like the type to have great-grandchildren that he hated. 

Instead, the man that stood before him was taller than his father, with a menacing brow and appeared to be younger than Naruto had imagined. 

"Fugaku, you mentioned your son would be making an appearance," Minato mentioned. 

"Ah, yes, he'll be back soon," Fugaku said in a dull tone, his brows raised as he scanned Naruto from head to toe. "This is your son, I presume? It seems he's inherited your wife's cheeky features," he sneered. 

"Watch your mouth," Minato grumbled, stepping forward into Fugaku's space. A guard behind Fugaku attempted to shove Minato away but Fugaku stopped him. Kushina held her husband back, gripping his arm tightly. 

Naruto just stood there awkwardly, seemingly absorbing the tension like a sponge. 

"Don't blame me for your shortcomings. How is it that a man of your standing ends up with someone so below your pedigree?" Fugaku said. 

"It amazes me how you can say these things when you're the same as me," Minato replied back smartly.

"Mikoto..." Kushina murmured absentmindedly. Naruto saw the display and was confused but he refrained from speaking as the tension filled the room. 

If his mother wasn't shaken by the interaction, he wouldn't be either. 

On the other hand, Fugaku flinched at the name. But he bounced back quickly. 

"Mikoto meant nothing to me then and she means even less to me now, she abused my sons and took me for granted! That filthy whore deserves to rot in hell!" Fugaku hollered. Minato and his family were startled by the outburst but Kushina relented. 

"That's not true. You loved Mikoto and your pride and your ego have tricked you into thinking she was a bad person. You want to see someone who abuses your sons and takes people for granted, look in the mirror," Kushina explained. Minato and Naruto looked at one another in shock, but quickly nodded their heads. 

"Silence your wife," Fugaku angrily gritted out. 

Minato stood firm. 

Kushina ignored the remark as she continued, "Mikoto loved you and she thought you could change and you didn't. The only good thing that came from you cutting her out of your life is that now she gets to be her own person again. And she's marrying someone who truly treasures her." 

Obviously, Fugaku was stunned by the news but did his best to hide it. 

"Stop acting like you know anything about me or Mikoto, I'm trying to be civil," Fugaku attempted to reason. 

"That's your version of civil?" Minato interjected. 

Suddenly, everyone's attention shifted to the footsteps that resounded from the main hall. 

"Father, I do not believe this is how we agreed to conduct ourselves at such an affair," a voice spoke up. 

Naruto's eyes immediately widened at the sight. 

Meanwhile, Fugaku broke past the Uzumaki family and strode forward, meeting the person at the door. 

A familiar voice. With equally familiar features. And would bear a chilling resemblance to said person if this wasn't indeed said person.  

"Sasuke, I'd like for you to meet Minato. His son, Naruto, is also your year. He goes to Konoha University but since you two are such drastically different majors, I can't imagine that you two have met," Fugaku spoke as he faced his son.

The man made sure to put extra emphasis on the fact that the two were different majors insinuating Sasuke's major was more useful and less frivolous than Naruto's. Minato and the rest of his family clearly overheard the conversation but chose to hold back what they had wanted to say. 

The Uchiha family started to migrate across the room, Sasuke taking confident and swift steps across the library, dressed to the nines in a sharp black suit, the Uchiha emblem sewed onto his cufflinks. A mark that signified the suit was tailored by an Uchiha with the finest fabrics and with the utmost superior technique, care and flair. 

The blond tried not to think about how good Sasuke had looked in the suit and instead of being excited and happy to see Sasuke, Naruto realized he was angry. He didn't even know he could be angry at Sasuke. He basically worshipped him. 

Naruto took in a sharp breath as Sasuke stood in front of him, his chin drawn up in a refined and snooty manner. Naruto had never seen Sasuke act this way, raising his brow as Sasuke attempted to assert himself as a more domineering and refined figure.

In short, Naruto was offended. But, he loved being around the Uchiha and when he had connected with him, felt like he finally had someone in his life who looked past his status. 

Did Sasuke just play him for a fool? Naruto felt like that couldn't be it. He didn't want to believe that. 

A mixture of emotions brewed within him as he questioned everything and anything. 

Sasuke was Fugaku's son? 

How come Sasuke had never mentioned him at all? 

He had to have known how much contention there was between Minato and Fugaku. 

While Naruto was in emotional turmoil, Sasuke remained calm and collected. In fact, he even went so far as to offer his hand for Naruto to shake as if the two had never even met before. 

Naruto refrained from shaking his head and fought off the urge to run away as he grabbed Sasuke's hand firmly and shook it. A defiant glint in his eyes as he met Sasuke's dark gaze. He bit down on the inside of his cheek in order to hide the growing feeling of rage dwelling within him. 

"You have quite a strong grip there, Naruto," Sasuke chuckled. 

"What can I say? I guess I just wanted to leave a good first impression," Naruto gritted out. His parents were obviously confused by their son's sudden change in demeanor but merely attributed it to his residual hatred for Fugaku. 

Little did they know it was Naruto having to rethink every word Sasuke said, every minute he spent with Sasuke, and every late night study session turned into something more. 

All Naruto knew at this point was Sasuke had a lot of explaining to do. 

* * *

**Present Day**

Sasuke didn't like asking for help so he simply didn't do it. He supposed part of it was growing up with Fugaku as a father. The literal stick up-- 

"Wow, you're actually here," a voice snapped Sasuke out of his dissociative daze as he turned his attention towards his brother. 

"Don't act so surprised," Sasuke replied, "Besides, I've asked for your help before. Stop making this weird." 

Sasuke settled down onto the couch in his brother's living room, throwing his feet over the glass coffee table. Itachi merely kicked off his brother's feet with his legs and shuffled over onto an old armchair. 

"No feet on my table. Also, don't blame me for acting weird. If anything, you're acting weird. The last time you asked me for my help was when you were in geometry still," Itachi replied. 

"I've definitely asked you for your help after that," Sasuke scoffed, crossing his arms and throwing his legs over the edge of the couch, throwing his head back against the pillows. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and Itachi droned on. 

"You didn't even really end up needing my help _in geometry_. We were in the _same geometry class_. You just needed me to tell the other kids to stop picking on you because you were a fourth grader," Itachi replied, leaning over and flicking his little brother's forehead. 

Sasuke groaned in reluctance and jumped back up. 

"You're talking about the only other time you've ever asked me for my help," Itachi said lowly. Sasuke turned his head away from his brother's. When Sasuke didn't reply, Itachi spoke up again. 

"When father asked you to marry Sakura," the older brother chuckled, "And you wanted me to help you break Naruto's heart." 

"I never, ever said that," Sasuke coughed. "And that was a long time ago. I'm not here for that. In fact, I'm kind of here for the opposite reason." 

Itachi raised a brow, "And what would that be?"

"Sakura wants to renew our vows," Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, "I don't have a problem with that or anything, but she wants me to fess up about my past with Naruto." 

Itachi rubbed up and down his own arm and replied, "You're worried it's going to compromise your marriage?" 

"It's definitely going to compromise my marriage. And it took a long time to give up marrying for love or whatever, so I don't want to risk everything I've worked towards because of a stupid college fling," Sasuke said as he got up, walking into the kitchen. 

Itachi sat there, processing what Sasuke was saying before he responded. 

"I don't think Naruto would take it lightly you considered your relationship with him a 'stupid college fling' especially because the two of you are currently close friends," Itachi said. 

"Whatever, you know what I meant. Like Sakura has a problem with me talking to Naruto everyday because she thinks something is still there. And even though I reassure her there isn't, she just uses every opportunity to throw it back in my face!" Sasuke exclaimed. He reached into the fridge, pulling out a beer, opening the can and downing it speedily. 

Itachi rolled his eyes at his brother's antics, "It amazes me how you've gotten this far in life, Sasuke. And you still don't understand that you don't need father to be secure. And that you lost everything when you gave up the best thing in your life." 

Sasuke slammed his drink down onto the counter, "And what would that be, brother?" 

Itachi ignored his brother's harsh tone and spoke up again, "Naruto, of course."

Sasuke laughed aloud, "I decided a long time ago that I was going to grow up and Naruto wasn't part of that." 

His brother smirked at him, "I don't know what's funnier. The fact that you think you're grown up or the fact that you think growing up means that you're not allowed to be happy with the choices you make." 

Sasuke froze. 

"Happiness doesn't always mean pursuing your passion as a teacher or whatever, maybe that's just you accepting you weren't meant for anything greater. That the pressure of being father's prodigy was too much for you," Sasuke spat at his older brother. 

Itachi remained silent. 

There was a pause between the two brothers, very much like the pauses that the two brothers had encountered in the past. But, while it was nothing new, it was certainly something to be cautious of. 

While Sasuke blindly followed his father's orders, Itachi was tepid about his father's intentions for his future. And it wasn't like Itachi didn't love his family, he did. That was what had become the problem. 

Sasuke may have been too young to recall, but Itachi wasn't. 

The night Mikoto left. 

The yelling and the crying. 

Mikoto sobbing on the steps as Fugaku threw her clothes at her telling her that he didn't need her anymore. Itachi, a child, peering at his mother from behind the door frame in terror. 

The feeling that nothing would ever be the same as the door closed behind his mother and Fugaku stomped back to his room.

And the sobbing that ensued afterwards. 

Itachi looked away from his brother, a feeling of dread and disappointment welling up in him as he imagined Sasuke becoming like their father as if he wasn't already headed in that direction. 

Sasuke relented, "Wait, I didn't mean that." Itachi merely raised up his hand and sighed. 

"I know. But, one day, you'll really mean it," he spoke. 

He couldn't help but feel like he was a lost case. But, he still held out hope because if no one else was going to and if Sasuke wasn't going to, he would be the one to hope. However, it was getting harder and harder to hold onto it as Sasuke screamed back. As Sasuke drank. As Sasuke strayed further away from him. 

The two brothers remained still in silence. Itachi, with a sad yet pensive look on his features. Sasuke, a confused glance aimed towards his brother as if trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing. 

When had Itachi ever wished for anything less than the best for his little brother? 

Sasuke hated the fact that he didn't want Itachi's support anymore. How his support was starting to feel artificial like his happiness was a ploy to get Sasuke to give up everything he had worked so hard for. 

How could Sasuke think that Itachi was trying to sabotage everything he had worked for by convincing him to go back to Naruto? Why did everything always have to come back to Naruto? 

Sasuke didn't like to be pitied or belittled. In fact, he prided himself on his high social status and his capacity for greatness. But, he couldn't help but look into Itachi's pitiful eyes and want to call Naruto. 

He couldn't help but look into Itachi's eyes and see the goodbye his mother never gave him the night she left them forever. 

And when Sasuke stopped by the gas station on his way home from his brother's apartment, he sat on the curb and held his phone up to his ear, waiting for the ringing to stop. And wanting to hear his voice already. 

* * *

"Fall is my favorite season," Naruto spoke up, signing his check. The blond had to calculate what 20% was on his phone before adding it to his total because he was an English major.

Just kidding. 

But seriously, Naruto was horrible at math. Yahiko didn't even have to use a calculator, he just did the math in his head. Like a freaking genius. No wonder he was going to work for some mega soul-sucking corporation. 

Where he made tons of money, he presumed. 

And even though Yahiko had tried to pay, Naruto kindly rejected the offer. 

 _Look at this little kid trying to be an adult,_ Naruto thought to himself. _Even he wasn't an adult._

Instead the two settled on one last round. No salt, no sugar. Just two questions to end the night on. Naruto decided on something simple, like his favorite season. He figured it was a little obvious but Yahiko smiled at him from across the table. 

"You're summer. Through and through," Yahiko replied. 

Naruto nodded off, but Yahiko continued to speak. 

"But you said Fall because that's one of the characters in your second book. Autumn," Yahiko spoke up. Naruto's grin suddenly disappeared from his face as he turned to face Yahiko. His brows were furrowed, his mouth opened up to speak but struggled to find the words to respond to the college student. 

"You read my books?" Naruto asked, his voice cracking a bit. Yahiko nodded. 

Naruto bit his lip. Even though he had known Sasuke for years, he had never encouraged Naruto about writing or read a single book that he ever wrote. Not even his poems or short stories. 

He was kind of beyond touched when Yahiko had mentioned that he had read his stories. 

Before Naruto could speak up again, his phone suddenly vibrated against the table, signaling that there was a call. 

"You gonna take that?" Yahiko asked nervously. 

Naruto clenched his fist before flipping over his phone and hesitantly swiping across from it, dropping the call. He turned back towards the college student instead. 

"Don't worry about it," Naruto said and put the device in his pocket. 

And for the first time in a long time, Naruto felt free. 

* * *

_To Summer,_

_You mentioned to me that you thought about ending it all. I didn't think it was strange, but I was worried about you even if it didn't come off that way. And I'm sorry for that it came off that way._

_What intrigued me was the fact that you thought about ending it all on your most perfect days and not your worst ones. Not the days where you were alone and you felt like you were worthless. On the days you felt invincible, the days where you saw each one of your friends, maybe your parents on the porch drinking apple juice and laughing at your baby pictures._

_Like if all these things were combined with a bowl of ramen, you'd want them to be your last memories._

_Would you want me in your last memories?_

_Who am I to you on your best days?_

_Is it who I am to you on your worst days?_

_Sometimes I wish that it was cloudy and rainy (your **least** favorite kind of weather) in fear that if the sky was its bluest and your skin was warm and the sun was out, you would feel like the world was saying goodbye to you. And I understand why it feels like goodbye because your goodbyes have always felt like that. _

_Everything about you is warm._

_I'm here to tell you that's not the world saying goodbye to you. That's the world saying welcome. The world saying hello. That's the world saying that it could be like this everyday and even if it's not today, it could be tomorrow._

_The world loves you._

_And I love you more._

_But I can't promise I'll be there on those days and I can't promise I won't be there on the bad days. I wish that I could just be there for all your good days but life isn't that kind. Even though I wish it were. The sad part is it tends to be the least kind to people who are too eager to think pain is necessary and pain is permanent and pain is forever._

_Pain is a part of life._

_Don't I know that more than anyone else? But I also know that pain isn't everything even when it feels like it is._

_Happiness is a part of it too. Even though we forget that through pain. Because happiness is easier to forget, but pain is a visitor that has overstayed its welcome. Hurt and anger and sadness and everything that comes with the human condition. It seems like that's all there is sometimes._

_And if the sun feels warm and it's the best day out of 100 of your worst days, why not just fall off the face of the Earth and keep falling?_

_Because happiness doesn't only exist in the absence of pain. You can find happiness in everything. It's the Saturdays you wake up early and then fall back asleep because it's a Saturday and there's nothing else to do._

_Recognize happiness because you want to. Recognize it because it's there. Recognize happiness in other people. Recognize it in yourself._

_I know I'm asking a lot by asking you to read these letters and you might not even read this far. But from what I remember, letters are your favorite means of communication._

_Although this letter was a lot of rambling, if there's anything I want you to have gotten out of this letter in particular is that they come from a place of happiness for what we were and not the pain that resulted from what we weren't._

_Yours,_

_Fall_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hopefully i'll get in another update soon... but yeah thank you for sticking with the story thus far!! i appreciate n love all the feedback and kind words! :)


	5. To Fall, I Forgot What that Felt Like

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As if Sasuke's personal life wasn't turbulent enough, a potential deal with Yamanaka Pharmaceuticals falls through.  
> Naruto receives unexpected news and Yahiko's past is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH OMG 100 KUDOS my heart is WARMED i love it 
> 
> Also, TY to everyone who has commented! I really love reading them, they so make my day ToT

_"The number you have reached is no longer in service. Please try again."_

Sasuke furrowed his brow in confusion, peering down at the device in his hand. The screen was bleary, Naruto's silly contact photo staring back at him. A shit-eating grin plastered on his face, a beer in his hands as he threw an arm around Sasuke.

It felt like ages since they had taken that photo. 

Was it from his first wedding anniversary party? Or his second? 

The words "Call Failed" flashed on the screen before his phone screen went black and Sasuke sat there feeling depleted. His head had hurt from being at work all day and dealing with the new interns. Then, he had inevitably decided to make it worse by drinking at Itachi's. 

Thinking back to the flash of hurt that appeared on his older brother's face caused a wave of guilt and embarrassment to well up inside of him. 

While Sasuke knew that what his older brother was saying was indeed true, it was harder to convince his heart of that than his head. And with his father praising him and finally accepting him after all this time, weren't his sacrifices worth it? 

Was giving up Naruto worth it? 

While the two were good friends now, they hadn't always started out that way. As a matter of fact, Sasuke found it hard to keep track of his past with the blond. At first, the two had started out as friends and that evolved into a "friends with benefits" kind of deal. 

Then after a complicated series of events, bitter enemies. 

Back to friends. 

And even though it was just a brief period of time, boyfriends. 

Sasuke had never been ashamed of being attracted to Naruto; after all, their friends had known about it. Hinata, especially, was a fantastic pillar of support for both of them while they were figuring out who they were and what they both wanted. 

But Fugaku had disapproved of their relationship ten times over. Not even the incentive of having a close relationship with Minato after years of lobbying against him and the latter establishing ethical, corporate laws and policies could overshadow his father's disgust at the prospect of having a son that was attracted to men. 

So, Sasuke did what Itachi strongly argued against. 

And gave up the only thing that he had ever truly wanted. Of course, over the years, Sasuke realized that he should have fought harder somehow. He shouldn't have cared about what his father wanted for him. 

Sasuke knew he was old enough to choose his own path in life. But, he was weak. 

And at this point in life, he felt like it was too late to go back and change things. Too late to start over. 

Go back in time and convince himself that Sakura's smile would never feel as warm as Naruto's. That his father's approval didn't matter if he had Itachi's. Sasuke briefly wondered what his mother would have wanted for him. 

And thought about how good it felt to be wrapped up in her love. 

Sasuke wondered where she was now. He knew that she was out there somewhere and that Itachi knew where she was, why she left and he probably still spoke to her. And it was one of Sasuke's many great insecurities. One he had disclosed to Naruto in the past and didn't dare disclose to Sakura. 

When Naruto didn't pick up, Sasuke let himself believe that Naruto was just busy and would call back later, so he decided to get up before he dwelled any longer than he should have. 

He certainly didn't want Sakura to get on his case about being late again. The screaming and the yelling and the arguing could wait until after this deal was secured between his family's company and Ino's. 

For right now, Sasuke just wanted to go home and get some rest. Or at least go home and work away at his laptop until he fell asleep on his desk. He would rather fall asleep on his desk than turn his back on Sakura the whole night anyways. 

It's not that he didn't like her. 

But, she would never be the love of his life. Maybe the mother of his children, but never his soulmate. While the thought was somewhat depressing, Sasuke was rich and healthy and famous. 

He was satisfied. 

Sasuke shook his head and got up from the curb, stretching his arms up in the air and cracked his neck. He hadn't really realized how tense his back and shoulders were but he supposed he could schedule a meeting with his chiropractor soon. 

Could he get the interns to do that? 

Maybe he could make Yahiko do it after they sorted out everything with Yamanaka Pharmaceuticals, an affair he wanted more than anything to get over and done with as they had been negotiating with the family for about three years now. 

* * *

**The Eve of Sasuke's First Wedding Anniversary**

Naruto stood outside of the happily married Uchiha couple's home, rocking back and forth on his heels anxiously. It wasn't like he was uncomfortable around the two. Well, he was. Very. 

But, he wanted to be mature about it. 

This was an adjustment period, if you will. He willed. Strongly. For it to be an adjustment period. And a strong one at that. 

A very strong one. 

Suddenly, the extravagant and oversized petrified and shined pallet door swung open with a jubilant Sakura welcoming him into her lavish home. She had her long pink hair drawn up in an elegant bun, with emerald earrings that complimented her eyes, and a billowy white dress with brown, strappy heels. 

She kind of looked like she was going to prom rather than celebrating her wedding anniversary but Naruto chose not to comment. 

After all, he already looked like the jealous boyfriend. He didn't need to act like one either. 

And Sakura was nice to him. Well, for now. 

"Naruto! I'm so glad you could make it!" Sakura exclaimed as she ushered the blond into her home. Naruto fidgeted nervously with the gift bag in his hands, some of the gold glitter from the packaging rubbing off on his fingers and denim jacket. 

"Thanks for inviting me," Naruto mentioned as he raised a hand to scratch at the back of his neck. 

Sakura offered to take Naruto's jacket and hang it up but he declined stating that he would only really have time to just greet everyone and after that, he would have to depart. Something about how Tsunade was on his case about helping her with a case. 

So, Sakura cheerily grinned and returned back to hosting, heading into the kitchen. Presumably to fetch another $1,000 worth of cheese and dried meat. Or a $10,000 bottle of champagne. Or something even more expensive from another super extravagant location. 

Naruto sighed. He liked being comfortable, but sometimes his friends could be a little extra. 

The blond maneuvered through the hallway, tactfully glancing away from the portraits of Sasuke and Sakura everywhere. When Naruto reached the end and entered the living room, he was greeted by happy partygoers, some of which were already drunk despite it being 2 pm in the afternoon. 

Ino cheered as she reclined against the plush couch, her mimosa spilling over on to the cream-colored tiles. 

"Naruuuuuuu!" the woman sung as she smiled up at her friend. Naruto merely walked up to her and gave her a friendly smooch on the forehead, prompting her to giggle and flip over onto her stomach. 

She was wearing a tight black turtleneck with a pair of tight blue jeans as well as chunky brown heels, a wide grin on her face. 

"How are you?" Ino cried out as she plopped her hands on Naruto's cheeks and squished them together playfully. Everyone who had been watching felt slightly uncomfortable at her antics but it was nothing out of the ordinary at this point.  

Honestly, Naruto was glad that Ino lived her life the way she wanted and found her antics to be hilarious. In fact, he was a little impressed she managed to get trashed this easily and quickly at such a formal affair. 

"Not trashed," Naruto retorted. Ino scoffed and laid back against the couch, pretending to be grumpy. 

Her blond hair spilled over the soft fabric, platinum blond threads wispy in the sunlight that streamed through the curtains. Meanwhile, Hinata was sitting in the corner admiring the scene and her friends with a soft smile on her delicate features. 

After he heard Ino snoring, he made his way over to the Hyuuga heiress. 

He had always preferred hanging out with Hinata at these affairs because they both liked to people-watch, especially at extravagant parties like these. 

"So, how long have you been trapped here?" Naruto asked cheerily, pulling up a seat next to Hinata. She widened her eyes a bit as he sat down but quickly regained her composure and grinned. 

"For about 4 hours, Sakura made me help her set up everything," Hinata continued in a hushed tone, "to be honest with you, she's not in a good place right now." 

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. 

"It's a party, parties are stressful to plan," he mentioned, crossing his arms. 

"No, it's not just that."

Naruto leaned over, concerned about Hinata's unease. 

"Don't you know?" Hinata asked, recognizing Naruto's confusion. "Fugaku is here and he's not happy with Itachi leaving the business," she said. 

At that, Naruto's mouth gaped wide open. He looked around before scooting closer to his friend. 

"Itachi is leaving the business? Why? How come?" Naruto asked. Hinata told him to quiet down before she continued. Naruto nodded and gulped nervously, fearing that he was a bit too loud. 

"He told Fugaku that he refuses to take part in the business anymore. Something about some shady dealings with a man named Orochimaru," Hinata went on to say, "Itachi said he wanted to pursue teaching instead, so he's out of the will, the business, everything. Fugaku doesn't even want Itachi to keep the Uchiha name." 

Naruto took time to process the information, leaning back in his chair. 

He didn't really know what to say. 

Except for that he was glad Itachi had finally stopped listening to his father and decided to think for himself as well as determine his own path in life. Yet, he couldn't imagine the emotional toll it was taking on not only Itachi, but Sasuke as well. 

Even though the two had recently gone through a series of very emotionally scarring and laborious happenings, he wanted to make sure that at the end of the day, his friend was okay. 

So, Naruto set out to find Sasuke. Ignoring Hinata's pleas to stay and not get involved with the Uchiha affairs. 

However, his love for his friend and desire to make sure he was okay outweighed everything else. 

Naruto speedily made his way through the corridor, dodging tipsy partygoers and handsy old, rich people until he arrived at the balcony. A familiar place for both him and his precious Uchiha. 

The balcony was far away from the rest of the party, overlooking Sasuke and Sakura's marvelous garden and deck, with fountains and flowers dotting the premises. And it was kept tidy, conforming to Uchiha standards as per usual. 

Very much unlike the night they were at that house where all they could see from the balcony were drunk people and cars terribly parked against one another. Not even parked next to each other, _against_ each other. 

When they were happy.

Together. 

Sasuke looked refined as usual, in a dark blue button up shirt, with classy sleek, black slacks. His hair styled upwards in stylish spikes, his bangs swept across his forehead in a way that framed his face perfectly. 

But even though he looked refined, he could sense the sadness on his features. 

Naruto strode forward, but stopped halfway. 

_Who was he to step in?_

He had no business with the Uchiha family. And this wasn't his wedding anniversary. It was Sasuke and Sakura's.

_How could Naruto enter their bedroom with a clear conscience and comfort his friend when he clearly wanted more than just his friendship in return?_

Would Sasuke even want his help? 

 _Sasuke made it very clear that he didn't want you,_ a voice resounded in Naruto's head. 

Naruto struggled to ignore those thoughts, thinking they were irrational. But, the more he thought about them, the more logical they became. 

_How could the balcony mean as much to Sasuke as it does to you?_

And with that, the blond turned on his heels and walked briskly down the hallway. 

He didn't dare look back over his shoulder in fear that Sasuke's sadness would drag him back in. Make Naruto want him again. Convince Naruto that he was worth waiting for, even if it meant he would have to wait a hundred lifetimes over. 

On the way back home, Naruto sulked. He dragged his feet across the driveway, crawling up the stairs to his apartment and flopped down onto his bed lazily. And fell asleep soon after that. Not wanting to feel or think about the party or Fugaku or Sasuke or Sakura or anybody. 

Soon, he woke up to worried calls and texts from Hinata and Ino wondering where he had gone. And the realization that the party was still in full swing and he still hadn't received a call from Sasuke wondering where he had gone had driven a wedge into his heart he was sure he would feel fifty years from now. 

Instead of answering them or going to sleep again, Naruto decided to bury himself in work. The blond kicked over some leftover boxes he had from moving into his new apartment and made his way across the carpeted floors towards his office. 

Or what he considered his office, that is. 

Then, he headed over to his desk and reached over his workspace to his collection of case files that Tsunade was working on for an investigative article. She had been on his case for the last couple of months as usual. However, Naruto decided that instead of working, he would sulk instead. 

Pulling out a pen from his drawer and clicking it compulsively, Naruto marked and underlined important passages and phrases that he found relevant to Tsunade's work. 

His eyes widened as he read over a particular sub-heading. 

Orochimaru. 

The name Hinata had mentioned at the party. 

The man who Fugaku had murky connections to but connections nonetheless. 

As Naruto read on, he realized the man was more dangerous than he had previously thought and inwardly panicked at the thought of Sasuke potentially working for this creep one day. And the fact that this creep was still out there sent shivers up his spine. 

_The Disappearance of Nagato._

Naruto frivolously read through the text, quickly forgetting what had transpired at the party and focused on the case. No wonder Tsunade had been getting on his case lately. She certainly had a reason to do so. 

_Three missing kids..._

Naruto scanned over past articles, pulling up information on his laptop as well and referencing other newspapers and journals that were also about the case. 

_A private investigator taking the kids under his wing..._

As Naruto continued down the page, he froze as he encountered a familiar name. 

_Minato Namikaze..._

What the hell was going on? 

* * *

**Present Day**

Currently, Naruto was on his way home. He had dropped Yahiko off earlier. Notably, without a kiss goodnight because their mouths undoubtedly tasted like salt. 

Yahiko laughed and settled for it. 

As long as Naruto would agree to go on a second date. 

And surprisingly enough, Naruto did _in fact,_ agree to go on a second date. 

He was having fun and genuinely enjoyed his company. Yahiko was funny, sweet and didn't take himself too seriously. Not to mention, the college student was extremely attractive. 

_Extremely._

Then, there was the fact that the college student liked reading his books. Like, genuinely. 

Sure, Naruto had book signings where people would show up and forums predicting what would happen next but the way Yahiko talked about his books was the reason he wrote books. 

Yahiko loved the prose. 

The symbolism.

The characters. 

The structure. 

Naruto just really, really loved writing. Talking about writing, talking about all the characters and worlds in his head out loud no matter how silly they sounded. And it warmed his heart to see Yahiko not only listen to him so intently, but be excited about the content he was itching to create. 

It made the author feel excited to write again. And to stop ignoring Tsunade's calls and pushing back deadlines. 

Sasuke had never read his stuff. He understood that Sasuke was a busy guy. But, so was Yahiko. And college is way harder now than it was back then. So, he supposed Sasuke's excuse was really that he didn't care. 

That certainly hurt. 

While he couldn't blame Sasuke for not taking any interest in what he was passionate about, the least he could have done was try or to listen. Not even as a boyfriend, as a friend friend. 

Nevertheless, Naruto figured the past was the past even though the ache in his chest reminded him that the past would always be there. 

Instead, Naruto reminded himself that there was still the future. And in this future Naruto could finally let go of his past, swing on a bench on his porch, drink beer with his friends and then greet his husband when he got home. His husband would ask him about the publishing firm and Naruto would ask him about his day. 

Then, the two could have dinner together. 

Maybe ramen, if Naruto was lucky. 

But, he didn't care as long as that future promised him the stability and grace that he wished for on his lowest days. 

Would that future have spiky orange hair and piercings? He didn't know about that. 

Or would that future have spiked black hair and onyx eyes? Naruto was sure _that_ wasn't going to happen. 

Besides, he liked talking to Yahiko. So, he was going to go on another date with him. Because Naruto knew that he deserved to have healthy and happy relationships despite his turbulent past. 

Naruto quickly checked his phone as he had ignored it throughout his date. 

He had received a call during dinner but decided against answering it because he wasn't really used to actually enjoying himself. Of course he had realized how badly his past relationship with Sasuke had fucked up his feelings of self-worth but he hadn't really realized the extent of it until Yahiko.

Or Konohamaru barfing his lungs out and him meeting Yahiko at the party by chance.

The point was having dinner with Yahiko really did feel like a breath of fresh air. And he hadn't felt like that. Not since the balcony with Sasuke. _God_ , that must have been ages ago. 

Maybe not as old news as cryptocurrency but prehistoric nonetheless. 

He shook his head in worry and looked down at his phone again to make sure he had read his notifications correctly. 

Not because Sasuke still hadn't called him, but because another Uchiha had news to share. 

That previous feeling of freedom and content soon dissipated as he scrolled down. 

He quickly slid over to respond to the text from Itachi: 

_Mikoto's sick._

Suddenly, a feeling of dread overcame the blond as his shaky hands gripped onto the steering wheel again and turned around. 

Even though Naruto had never had Fugaku's approval, he still had Itachi's. To be honest, he didn't even care about having Fugaku's approval anyways. That mean, old bastard didn't mean anything to him anymore. 

So, as Naruto began to lean on Itachi, the older Uchiha brother began to lean on Naruto. And not in a romantic way or anything. The two had briefly discussed why they would never work quite frequently as to remind themselves how disastrous that would turn out. 

These conversations tended to revolve around the fact that Itachi didn't want to have to think about his brother's sex life every time he slept with Naruto. Similarly, Naruto didn't want to think about Sasuke when he was in bed with Itachi either as the two looked quite alike one another. 

So, the blond understood completely. 

And the two were pretty good friends, meeting up for coffee every now and then. 

Naruto had actually been a guest lecturer a couple of times to Itachi's college classes when Itachi had to take his dog to the vet or run errands or something. The blond thoroughly enjoyed those lectures because unbeknownst to Itachi, he literally just told everyone to go home and sleep. 

He also told them what Itachi would put on the test about his guest lectures so that everyone got those points. 

College was way harder now. He wasn't going to complicate knowledge if he didn't have to. Especially because of the monetization of public education but Naruto decided to get into that  _another time._

It was only a couple of months ago when Itachi had disclosed to Naruto he had reconnected with his mother. Naruto was happy, always hearing stories about MIkoto and Kushina's close relationship through the ages until Fugaku fucked everything up the only way he knows how to fuck things up. 

By yelling and making people feel inferior. 

So, the blond was grateful that they had finally found each other again. But, as happy as Naruto was for them, Itachi forbid Naruto from ever telling Sasuke about it which had killed him inside especially because him and Sasuke still spoke to each other frequently. 

However, Itachi didn't trust many people so Naruto kept his promise despite wanting his Uchiha to know. 

But, as he made his way over to Itachi's, he noticed someone stopped on the side of the road. Their car was parked against the curb and considering it was at night, Naruto figured their car might have been damaged or something. 

Naruto opened up his passenger side window and leaning over and with glittery blue eyes, he asked, "You okay?" 

The person walked up to Naruto's car and as they leaned over, the two stopped to look at each other with wide eyes. 

"Dobe?" Sasuke asked in disbelief. 

"Teme?" replied Naruto, a strange gleam in his eye that was a little overexcited. 

* * *

**The Eve of Nagato's Disappearance**

As Yahiko weaved through the shelves of books, peering through the cracks in the Non-Fiction section, he finally spotted a blotch of red hair inspecting a book. The boy shot up and turned the corner excitedly. 

People in the library shook their heads at the disruptive behavior and others welcomed the energy into the space. Contrary to the popular opinion, the library staff loved Yahiko. Part of it was because the child's energetic and kind disposition, but it was mostly because Nagato was a great addition to the Library Volunteer team and said that if they wanted to keep him, they also had to let Yahiko stay too. 

Konan came too but unlike Yahiko, she sat silently at the bean bag chairs and just read books like other patrons at the library. 

One day, Yahiko had just gotten bored of reading and decided to reorganize Health books in "rainbow order." Needless to say, the library staff was not impressed. 

The overexcited orange-haired kid threw his arms around his friend and swayed side to side playfully before the other boy finally put his book down. 

"Yes, Yahiko?" Nagato asked, turning around to face the childish boy. 

"Mm. Whatcha reading?" Yahiko replied. The latter simply raised a brow and looked to the side, and pointed to the spine. 

"It's a book by a new author, I've never seen it here before."

"Ah."

"It shouldn't be in this aisle though."

"Huh?" Yahiko asked. 

"It's in the Mystery Aisle, but it should be in the romance aisle," Nagato chuckled. 

"Oh, why's that?" Yahiko tilted his head as he inspected the title. 

"I don't think the author meant to write a love story, but they certainly did," Nagato responded. 

"Why do you think that is?" Yahiko asked, biting on his lower lip in confusion. 

"I think you'd have to read it to understand," the older boy answered. He motioned towards a book near Yahiko, asking him to hand it over before placing it on one of the shelves. Yahiko wanted to comment on the sad look on Nagato's face but attributed it to him being tired. 

After Nagato finished re-shelving the books for that aisle and moved onto the next, Yahiko curiously flipped through the first couple of pages and decided that he would check it out. 

_Naruto Uzumaki, huh?_

Yahiko looked around for an open spot in the library before he sat down and began to read. 

* * *

The next morning, Yahiko woke up, wanting to ask Nagato why he thought that was a love story. Instead, he found Konan and Jiraiya in the living room. Jiraiya had a solemn expression on his face while Konan looked pale and sickly.

The white-haired man they had considered their guardian was clutching onto a note with a tight and menacing grip before handing it off to Yahiko. 

The boy took it with a concerned expression on his face, wanting to say something but settling for reading the note instead. 

It read: 

_To my family,_

_I'm sorry, but I have to go. Not because I want to, but because I have to. And I say I have to because I'm tired of running away. I'm old enough to make my own choices now and this is what I have decided to do._

_Konan, you can finally have a normal life. I know you've always wanted one and it never felt that way with us. I hope you find everything you want in it, and even if you don't, that you have people by your side that make you feel like you deserve the whole world and more._

_I won't let what happened to us limit your opportunities or adventures._

_The world deserves to be seen by you. And you deserve to see the world._

_Go to college, get good grades, make friends. And when it gets hard because college gets hard, remember that I will always be cheering you on. And that I love you for lifetimes._

_Jiraiya, you can finally retire. I know babysitting isn't a great job and you never asked for this gig. I sincerely hope that this is your second chance and if it's not, that you know you deserve a third and a fourth._

_No one cares as much as you do. Even when you try to hide it._

_Thank you for everything you've done to keep this family together and everything you will do to help our family in the future. I didn't deserve you, but I know Konan and Yahiko did._

_Be there for their firsts._

_I wish more than anything that I could be there too._

_Especially when Yahiko finally passes his driving test._

_Speaking of which..._

_Yahiko, I'm so proud of you. I don't want you to ever feel like you have to change for other people and that you carry with you that positive energy that we've all grown to love. The right people will love it too. So, surround yourself with people who love it and surround yourself with people who need it._

_If you get into college, try your hardest. Don't party too hard and even if you don't want to go to college, that's okay._

_Just never stop trying. Try and try and try because this world doesn't hand anything to you. But, I know that won't be a problem for you at all._

_You are one of the hardest working people I know and it will take you so far in life. I see you and know that your future will be so bright. I know you and Konan will always have each other's backs even when I'm not there._

_So, try to not argue too much._

_Okay?_

_And if you do argue, Konan is probably right._

_And take care of each other. This world is not kind. It can be brutish and cruel and unsympathetic. After all, my parents abandoned me and handed me off carelessly to a powerful man for money._

_But even though the world took my family away from me, it gave me a new one. One that is funny and kind and smart. One that loves each other with 110% of our being. One that I'll carry with me forever._

_All I ask is that you don't go looking for me. Even if I'm in pain, I need you to go on with your lives. Because chances are being separated by you will be the greatest pain I'll ever bear._

_Don't let my sacrifice for your future be in vain and never forget about me._

_Goodbye,_

_Nagato_

With that, Yahiko collapsed to the ground, tears streaming wildly down his face. Konan kneeled down beside her friend and wrapped her arms around the boy. Despite everything that had happened to them, the things they had to go through, they had always done everything together. 

Now, he wasn't sure what would happen to them. 

And if he still wanted to do all those things he had dreamed of doing without Nagato by his side. 

* * *

**Present Night**

Naruto shook his head, "What are you doing here?" he asked, getting out of the car and walking over to Sasuke. 

Sasuke leaned forward and gave Naruto a brief hug, "I could be asking you the same thing." 

"I'm heading over to Itachi's, I need to drop something off," Naruto gestured behind him vaguely. He was never any good at lying, but was Sasuke ever really good at seeing what was right in front of him? Sasuke peered over the blond's shoulder and failed to notice anything in the car. 

"Are you dropping off an invisible box full of puppies?" Sasuke chuckled. 

Of all the days of the year, Sasuke had to be curious today. 

Naruto bit his lip nervously. 

"Want to fess up?" Sasuke asked as he gestured for Naruto to join him on the curb. The blond shrugged his shoulders and joined his friend. 

"We're both adults now, right?" Naruto asked. 

"You pay your taxes, right?" Sasuke retaliated, his knees bumping into Naruto's affectionately. 

"We're supposed to do _what_ now?" the blond exclaimed. Sasuke merely punched Naruto in the arm in response. 

"Yeah, we're both adults. I mean, we're unhappy and we get tired by 10pm now, don't we?" Sasuke said in a sarcastic tone, scratching the back of his neck nervously. 

"I get tired by 8pm, thank you very much," Naruto replied, pretending to be offended as he let out a yawn. 

After all, it was around midnight and the two were on a street curb, talking about life. Not to mention, it was freezing and Naruto was not at all in appropriate attire to keep himself warm. Sasuke had noticed it and offered the blond his jacket to which he tactfully declined saying something about how they were not in a lame high school drama show. 

So, Sasuke settled for getting the blond a spare jacket Sakura kept in the back. 

Naruto threw on the pink leather jacket and felt grateful for not only the warmth it provided, but the high fashion. 

"So, what's going on? Really," Sasuke stated seriously. 

"Sasuke, do you remember that night you told me about? When your mom read you that story and the next morning she was gone?" he asked. Sasuke nodded slowly, not understanding where Naruto was going with this. 

"Naruto, what are you getting at?" Sasuke questioned his friend, knowing that the blond wasn't the type to bring up pain to dredge up those emotions and brought up pain in order for it to be resolved. 

"Sasuke, your mother didn't leave because she didn't want you. Your mother left because Fugaku forced her to," Naruto said nervously, not knowing how Sasuke was going to react. 

Sasuke pondered it for a moment but shook his head, "I know that." 

It didn't take a genius to figure something like that out, and Sasuke _was_ a genius. 

The Uchiha turned to the side, not wanting to make eye contact with the blond. Briefly, Naruto reached out his hand to grab Sasuke's shoulder but relented as the thought of Yahiko flashed through his mind. 

While Naruto was confused at the thought flashing in his mind, he focused on the situation once more. 

The two sat there in silence for a while, underneath the stars and moonlight which would have been romantic if they had been under different circumstances. It was certainly nice to just be with the Uchiha again. 

He didn't know if Yahiko had won the bet or not if he was sitting here talking to the Uchiha right now, but he supposed he could settle that with Yahiko later. 

Naruto was concerned with how silent the Uchiha had become but reminded himself it was normal considering Sasuke didn't like talking about his family and when he did, he felt ashamed about his past. 

And that shame coated his happiness and the love he grew up with until he couldn't recognize it in himself anymore. As well as others. 

Sasuke took a deep breath in and turned back towards Naruto, a sad look in his eyes. 

Naruto nodded. 

Hesitantly, Sasuke laid his head against Naruto's shoulder and breathed shakily. Naruto looked downwards and avoided the feeling of elation that was welling up inside his chest as Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed dreamily. 

He figured Sasuke didn't want to continue or say anything so he spoke up again, "Itachi told me your mother is sick."

The raven's eyes opened up slowly and he blinked a couple of times before getting up again and turning to face Naruto. 

Sasuke's lips twitched for a moment, trying to recollect his thoughts but snapped out of it as soon as his phone started to ring. He looked towards Naruto with an apologetic look in his eyes as he took the call.  

"Uchiha Sasuke speaking," the Uchiha spoke into the phone with a professional tone unlike the casual one he had just been using with Naruto. The blond wrapped himself up tighter in Sakura's jacket as Sasuke chatted away on the phone. 

"What?" he exclaimed. 

"Fine, I'll be there first thing tomorrow morning," Sasuke said before hanging up. 

Before Naruto could respond, Sasuke had abruptly stood up. Naruto quickly followed right after. 

"Wait! Where are you going?" the blond asked. 

Sasuke had already started walking back to his car in alarm and ignored the blond's question. Naruto speedily stepped in front of Sasuke as he tried to get into the driver's seat. 

"Sasuke! Talk to me," Naruto pleaded. 

"Naruto, I really have to go, okay? It's work and I need to be there tomorrow morning. Just let me go," Sasuke relented, his voice cracking in a desperate tone that was unlike Sasuke. 

"You're not okay, just let me help you," the blond begged as he grabbed Sasuke's shoulders. 

"Help me? You mean like you _helped_ me by keeping this a secret from me the whole time? What good did that end up doing anyone Naruto? What good do you ever do Naruto!" Sasuke questioned and Naruto froze up at the mean comment. 

Although Sasuke hadn't touched Naruto, it felt like the man had backhanded him violently. The words etching themselves in Naruto's skin like rusted metal. Of course he and Sasuke had argued before, but this was different. 

Obviously the two would argue about anything and everything from whether a movie was good or bad, where to go for lunch, social corporate responsibility even. But the way Sasuke's words lashed out at him were venomous. 

He had expected Sasuke to at least be sad but all he saw was anger. All he felt was the Uchiha's rage. 

_Didn't you love your mother, Sasuke?_

Sasuke continued to shriek at Naruto, scolding him. 

_Do you love her now the way Fugaku loves her?_

Naruto flinched as Sasuke threw his hands up at him, the words cutting into the cool, night air that blanketed them. In fact, Naruto could see Sasuke's breath as he screamed at him, and the way it smelled indicated that he had been drinking. 

_Are you on the curb because even Itachi can't reach you now?_

"I knew you would be like this! That's why I didn't tell you!" Naruto admitted, finally stepping up to Sasuke defiantly. The intense look on his face startled Sasuke and he stumbled backwards in alarm. 

"She's sick?" Sasuke whimpered weakly. 

Naruto nodded his head, reaching a hesitant hand to Sasuke's face as the man looked at him with such a sad expression. The two of them stalled for that second, trying to find words to fill the silence and finding none. 

"And there's nothing I can do about it? Why didn't Itachi say anything? Why didn't you tell me!" Sasuke huffed in frustration as he paced alongside the curb. Naruto watched him with a worried expression before finally speaking up. 

"Sasuke, Itachi didn't tell you because he's losing you to Fugaku. And you don't have to lose yourself to Fugaku, I'm telling you now so we can go back together, see your mother, fix everything," Naruto reasoned, trying to grab onto Sasuke's hand. 

Sasuke merely swatted Naruto's hand away and replied, "It's too late! Don't you understand, Naruto? You said it yourself. We're grown up now." 

The blond held back a sarcastic chuckle, having to remind himself that Sasuke was in a difficult place. 

"We will never be grown up until we settle _this_ , Sasuke," Naruto said as he gestured between the two of them with his pointer finger, "This is broken. We are broken and we've had ten years to fix things but you'd rather ignore it and bury it, just like you do everything else!" 

"My life isn't the one that needs fixing, Naruto. I'm not the one who's been pining after a married man for centuries. I'm not the one who is secretly hoping that they'll break up. I have ambition. I have a business. I'm fine without you. In fact, I might be better off without you," Sasuke sneered. 

Naruto absorbed the words, inhaling sharply. 

_How long have you had these thoughts, Sasuke?_

_Since your wedding?_ _Since college?_

The blond stepped aside and let Sasuke pass. 

_Since the balcony?_

"I gave up so much for you," Naruto said slowly, shaking his head and resisted the urge to cry in front of Sasuke. He turned his head over his shoulder to look back at the raven.

Sasuke had an unreadable expression on his face, an unspoken rage brimming underneath layers of sadness, frustration, and hurt. So much hurt. And when Sasuke was hurt, Naruto couldn't help but feel it in his very own bones. 

But, he wouldn't cry. He didn't want to appear weak in front of the man that had sewed his way into the very fabric of his being. Not that he viewed crying as a sign of weakness, but knowing that's all Sasuke saw tears as. 

"I never asked you to," Sasuke said in an icy tone as he opened up his car door, speeding off into the night leaving Naruto standing there alone. In an arguably cute outfit, but alone nonetheless. 

After that exchange, the blond merely walked back to his car plopping down in a miserable mood. 

Despite his head aching, the blond started his car back up again, checking to see if anyone was behind him before pulling away from the side of the road and headed towards Itachi's.

A couple of tears streamed down his face and he quickly wiped them away knowing that if he let himself cry, he wouldn't be able to stop.

After thirty years, even someone like Naruto who loved someone like Sasuke had finally had enough. 

* * *

_To Summer,_

_I used to think that crying was for people who were weak, that couldn't handle the things that the world threw at them and as a result, those people would never be successful._

_Now, I know that withholding how you feel and what you think is weak. And that displaying your fears and your raw feelings and emotions to the world is strength. That crying is a sign of you telling the world that you are more than what life throws at you, you care more than people think you do, that you are meant to be here._

_I've always tried not to cry in front of you._

_In fear that if I did, you would think less of me._

_Looking back on everything we've been through, everything you've been through alone, everything I've been through by myself and everything we've gone through together... I wish that I told you it was okay to cry in front of me._

_I realize that you probably went and cried all by yourself in the safe confines of your room._

_And I don't blame you. I don't think I'm capable of blaming you for anything._

_Because I might have come off as careless or that I thought suppressing emotion was the way that grown-ups were supposed to deal with emotion. I was so wrong. Very wrong, in fact._

_Growing up is beyond paying taxes and working for corporations. It's beyond meeting other people's expectations for how you get to live your life._

_Would things have been different if I let you cry in front of me? If I wiped them away and made you ramen and took you to the beach at night and wrote things in the sand? If I made you laugh so hard more tears came out but they were happy tears?_

_Like if I drew a dick in the sand?_

_An obscenely big one?_

_Or a super tiny one._

_Would you collapse on the sand after that and get your pants all dirty and we'd go home and you'd wear my jeans or nothing at all and we could just watch movies and eat cake from the convenience store?_

_Then, I could tell you that you look as beautiful when you're smiling as when you're crying. Even though you say that your crying face is atrocious. I'm here to tell you that authenticity looks good on you. That nothing could ever look bad on you._

_I'm sorry we didn't have that. The beach at midnight and the movies at my place and the morning where you wake up and I'm telling you that you mean everything to me and more._

_That you can cry in front of me if you need to. Because when you remind me how strong you are, it inspires me to become a stronger person too._

_I wish I soaked up your sadness when you needed me to. Instead, I ran. I always ran away. I've been running away since I was a child and I never stopped running._

_No matter what happens to us, I just want you to know that I'm done running._

_Yours,_

_Fall_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really long and emotional chapter, i know 
> 
> IF THIS HURT TO READ, THIS HURT TO WRITE OK


	6. Now I Remember, Yours Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto realizes that he must move on. Sasuke refuses to let people think any less of him and his wife ends up inviting the one person she didn't want to see at her ceremony to her ceremony.

The first time Hinata met Naruto, she couldn’t help but develop a tiny crush on him.

After all, he was extremely good at playing soccer, brushed his teeth every day and always offered her rollie pollies at recess.

It was worth mentioning this was when they were five. Although Naruto still offered her rollie pollies at the occasional outdoor political rally for environmental health and safety regulations.

His soft, golden hair and bright, blue ocean eyes might have helped too.

But most importantly, Hinata liked Naruto because he knew what it was like to have people want to be your friend for the wrong reason. Or reasons.

In fact, Hinata was convinced that even if she didn’t have a penny to her name that Naruto would not only smile at her the way he did, but would smile even brighter.

He was kind.

And that was rare in the world she lived in.

Hinata decided that from that point on, she wanted to live in the world Naruto did.

But, the boy was flighty. His mind drifted off easily and he had trouble focusing in class. Their homeroom teacher, Iruka, had always scolded him.

Sometimes, he scolded Hinata for being so forgiving to Naruto and letting him copy her homework.

The point of all this being was even though Naruto seemed to operate by his own standards and Hinata did her best to support him in that way, Naruto was going to have to learn sooner or later that not everyone would be so supportive.

At first, Hinata found it admirable that Naruto didn’t seem to care what everyone else thought.

When it came to choosing a college.

When it came to choosing a major.

When it came to Sasuke.

Later on, Hinata figured that maybe Naruto himself was trying to figure out what kind of world he was living in.

And so she hoped she could be part of it someday.

When Hinata was seven, she met a man named Fugaku Uchiha. He had worked for her father on a project that she knew she wasn’t supposed to know anything about.

Yet, she did and she saw Fugaku as a man that was willing to do anything to claw his way to the top of the social hierarchy.

A man who had nothing but was given the chance to have everything at an unspeakable cost.

She also remembers meeting Sasuke.

Across the dining hall in a dress shirt and long pants, clinging to a woman who had a smile like Naruto’s.

With long black hair and shiny, dark eyes and full lips. She assumed she was Sasuke’s mother as she leaned down towards the boy and wiped cranberry scone crumbs from his chubby cheeks.

While the people who surround Sasuke every day, whether it be Sakura or Ino, figured they knew when Sasuke was happy, Hinata knew better.

She was confident that the only tethers that tied Sasuke to this world were ever only his mother and Naruto.

And to see how much he’s grown over the years in Naruto’s spotlight to how much he’s regressed is quite disheartening.

Currently, the two are both seated at a giant conference room table across from one another and it’s quite comical that for once in their lives, Sasuke is the one that’s broken out in a cold sweat. His brows are furrowed with his knees shaking from underneath the table as his fingers vibrate slightly against the keys on his laptop. 

Sasuke's usually professional appearance and meticulously styled hair is muddled. There are dark circles under his eyes but everyone refuses to comment on them as he is  _apparently_ Fugaku's only son and successor. 

She doesn't really know what happened between him and Naruto since neither of them want to seem to talk about it. But, she knows that in time, the two of them will ask her for their help when they're both ready to come to terms with how they're feeling. 

How they're really feeling. 

And not how everyone wants them or expects them to feel. 

In the meantime, Hinata imagines that if the circumstances were different, these two would have a chance to finally be happy. 

* * *

**8 years ago...**

"You have got to be kidding me," Naruto muttered under his breath as he saw an excruciatingly familiar and admittedly beautiful face as he first entered the lecture hall. Right next to the only available seat in the entire class.

The bastard’s backpack lying on top of the chair.

Like he was saving it for somebody.

Judging by the said bastard’s expression, he supposed it was for him.

_This is what he got for sleeping in and getting to class so late._

He felt Sasuke's gaze on him as he made his way up the steps, and ignored his devious smile as Naruto shimmied his way between the rows of people before plopping down next to the Uchiha after handing him his bag back.

Then, Naruto pulled up his desk and took out his laptop from his bag before setting his stuff down on the floor.

Sasuke coughed out loud, trying to get the blond's attention. Naruto simply ignored him and typed away as the professor yammered on about society and technology.

"No thank you for saving you a seat?" Sasuke asked with a sly smile, leaning towards the blond with a pen dangling from between his fingertips. A couple people turned towards Sasuke as he spoke but before they were about to tell him off, they got a generous eyeful and neglected to say anything at all. 

"What a gentleman," Naruto praised the Uchiha, refusing to make eye contact with the man sitting beside him. 

"I have no idea why you're so focused on taking notes, it's the first day," Sasuke continued, "It's not like the professor is saying anything particularly groundbreaking. Old people don't like technology? Technology is destroying the democratic process? Targeted advertising is evil? Need I say more?" 

"What are you doing in this class anyways? Aren't you a business major?" Naruto raised a brow. Sasuke shrugged. 

"Can't I just be interested in the subject?" Sasuke asked with a somehow innocent look on his face as he tapped his pen against the desk periodically. 

"You just made it very clear in the first 30 seconds of the class you definitely don't give a shit about any of this," Naruto replied. 

"Fair enough." 

"I would argue it's a little more than fair." 

"You're still mad at me," Sasuke voiced, changing the subject. 

"Was that not obvious?" Naruto asked, closing his laptop and finally turning his body towards Sasuke. The blond had an angry expression on his face, which Sasuke had rarely ever seen when he was with the blond. 

"It's nothing personal," Sasuke said. 

"It was very personal, Sasuke. You were trying to use me because my dad was the mayor! You're just like everyone else whose ever been in my life," Naruto said exasperatedly. 

"I like you, Naruto." 

"Well, I loved you," Naruto said, his voice shaky. 

Sasuke's gaze softened and the mischievous glint in his eye dissipated into remorse. 

Even when Sasuke intended on getting to know Naruto to appease his father, he knew from the beginning the two would be embroiled in a love story upon watching his cheeks flush underneath dizzy lights and cold skies. 

Looking at the blond now, he questioned whether or not everything he's ever worked for was worth it. Because it was unbecoming of a man of his pedigree to want something so badly and not have it. 

Sasuke looked at people like objects. 

Never in his whole life had he made room for emotions and feelings and truth. 

His mother leaving taught him those things only brought you pain. Now, having the light of his life resisting him and distancing himself from him, Sasuke wanted more than anything to feel him. Emotions and pain and all. 

Because the satisfaction of obeying his father was cold. His world was cold. 

"You still love me," Sasuke responded quietly. 

"Not after you lied to me, no." 

After that exchange, the two sat in silence. Naruto had reopened his laptop to take notes and Sasuke dozed off, trying to figure out how to save the conversation. Naruto was kind of glad that Sasuke was struggling since he decided it was probably best for the two to end any semblance of the relationship they once had. 

"What would it take?" Sasuke asked suddenly, snapping Naruto out of his concentration. 

"A lot more than saving me a seat in class, that's for sure," Naruto joked under his breath. 

"I'm serious," Sasuke insisted. 

_How do you fix something that's this broken?_

"So am I." 

_How do I make sure you know that the balcony means as much to me as it did to you?_

Sasuke refrained from commenting out of frustration and took a deep breath. He knew that he had royally fucked up. And Sasuke had never felt guilty about using people before. But for some reason, it was different with Naruto. 

Sasuke had never vied for anyone's attention like he did for Naruto's. All his life, he wanted his father's spotlight, the approval of his father that would then absolve all of the pain their family had gone through.

Like their loss had been worth it because the two had made it to the top while the rest of his family faltered when put under the pressure to make the necessary sacrifices in order to succeed in life. 

Naruto's spotlight never felt like that.

While spotlights are artificial, blinding even, Naruto's spotlight was like sunshine. His blond's spotlight felt like the sun peaking in through silky, translucent curtains in the early morning hours. Kind, gentle, strong, and most importantly warm. 

To have Naruto beside him now and to have the blond be so furious with him, it felt cold. 

* * *

**Present Day**

Naruto shifted in bed, his jean-clad legs rubbing against the soft fabric of his sheets. After last night, Naruto had been too lazy to change out of his clothes and had settled on collapsing onto his bed. 

More often than not was Naruto sleeping in his old clothes. He sort of missed his comfy frog pajamas. Okay, well not sort of. He missed them a lot. 

He missed Sasuke too.

Naruto missed joking around with him, having to muddle through his odd mix of dark humor and cartoon references for content that was actually laughable. He missed drinking beers with him and watching movies. Going out to watch bad movies and joking about naming Sasuke and Sakura's kids after ramen toppings. Talking about how college prepared them for nothing but they still spent an exorbitant amount of money suffering through it. 

For Naruto, it entailed failing _and_ suffering through it.  

Of course he had other friends he could do those things with. But with Sasuke, it was always different. 

Even though Sasuke didn't end up choosing him and Naruto would have to live with that for the rest of their lives, being with Sasuke made him feel like he had a reason to stay. 

The blond always had a tendency to be flighty and needed a lot to tie him down. While he had a lot of friends and he seemed happy, Naruto always felt like there was more out there for him. If Naruto wanted to take off, he'd imagine Sasuke would look up at him from the ground. 

The way he looked at Naruto on the balcony. 

And Naruto would come back down to Earth because how could he say no to Sasuke? His everything. From the very beginning to the end, Naruto knew it was Sasuke. 

So, he missed him. 

And it wasn’t the way he missed him when they were still friends or even when they were still together.

The two had never been at odds like this before. After all, the two were used to bottling up their emotions and putting up a front.

To have to deal with the consequences of expressing how truly pained they were, to see each other be vulnerable, was far more intimate and nerve-wracking than anything they had ever undergone before.

In other words, all of this was very new.

And new territory was scary. 

Naruto dug his face into the pillows in a feeble attempt to escape reality, but just as he flipped over, his phone began to ring. He furrowed his brow and reached out to turn it off not even acknowledging who was calling. 

Most likely it was Tsunade urging him to edit his latest chapter. The last time he had contacted her was last night after his date wherein Naruto finally felt good enough about himself to talk to people again. 

For once, he just wanted to not have to lie to anybody. Especially to Tsunade. The old woman had taken care of him since he was fresh out of college, acting as his mentor and eventually, the two grew close as colleagues. 

He remembers the first time she saw him falter. 

It was the day after Sasuke came back from his trip to Singapore with Sakura where the two had traveled and fell deeper and deeper in love with one another. Sakura had a field day or a couple of field weeks, posting everything to her blog. 

Entries upon entries showing him everything he didn't have, everything he wanted and didn't deserve. 

Naruto wasn't particularly proud of his subtle internet stalking habits. Or the fact that he had to ask Konohamaru how to go about it. And he wasn't particularly fond of how it just made him feel way worse afterwards. 

That day also happened to be the day after the release of his first book. So, naturally the whole publication company threw Naruto a giant party. One Sasuke and Sakura were inevitably invited to. Being Naruto's best friends in the whole world apparently. 

Sakura being Sakura had to talk about Singapore. 

Sasuke being Sasuke let her do as she pleased. 

Them being the perfect couple had everyone falling in love with them. 

While the blond could handle a lot, he knew that he didn't deserve to be sad when he really didn't have to be.

So, he left. 

Tsunade followed him afterwards, strappy heels clacking against the ground in the parking lot as he attempted to speed away. Eventually, the woman caught up to him, swinging him around by the shoulder. 

_Have you been carrying this pain all this time?_

It was the first time he had ever cried in front of her, rivulets of tears streaming down his face as he broke down in front of the woman. While Naruto wishes that everything was peachy after that, Naruto spiraled. And while Tsunade forgave him more than she should have, he knew he didn't deserve her patience despite his sadness. 

_I've never felt freer than that night on the balcony._

He had responsibilities and he never felt independent, always being weighed down by his father's legacy, his diminishing faith in his proficiency as a writer, and the fact that he would never have the love of his life. 

_You've been asking yourself all this time if you deserve Sasuke._

So when he felt good, he wanted to share that with the people in his life that kept him grounded. 

_But does Sasuke deserve you?_

Naruto had a tendency to overthink and it always landed him in deep and treacherous waters, but he couldn't deny the sense of clarity he had gained after from yesterday if anything. 

The blond rolled over into a new position as he glanced at the picture on his nightstand of Tsunade and Naruto standing in front of her publishing firm, alongside her husband, Dan. 

Naruto smiled as he recalled how kindly the couple treated him and was appreciative of the man for supporting Tsunade all this time in starting up her own firm. 

Why did the blond always put his own needs on the backburner for someone who never failed to break him like Sasuke? 

And it was the feeling that he should have known from the very beginning, that this was never a love story. 

If it was, Sasuke isn't the person he's supposed to end up with. 

Finally, he sighed and got up. He figured that he should get started on those edits so he could make it to dinner with Yahiko later today. His "bae" as Konohamaru so tastefully dubbed him, was feeling lucky. Naturally, Naruto would have to knock him down a couple pegs. 

With that, the writer smiled as he sat down at his desk, opened a bag of sweet corn snacks and began to type as he snacked on them. 

* * *

**Uchiha Corporation**

As Sasuke walks out of the conference room and into his office, he rounds the corner into his office. All in all, the meeting with Yamanaka Pharmaceuticals was a shit show. And that was putting it lightly. 

While Ino was lax and easy to negotiate with, her father, Inoichi Yamanaka, was a corporate nightmare to work with. In reality, Sasuke refused to admit he might have been difficult to deal with. After all, how could Sasuke possibly attribute any of the blame to his own wrongdoings? Sasuke was someone who would never walk into a deal without the best possible outcome. 

Until today, that is. 

Because Yamanaka Pharmaceuticals just rejected their initial offer for the merger and have now made it very clear to the Uchiha Corporation that they would not be doing business together in the future. 

Sasuke scoffed. 

They would be just fine. He was fine before all of this and he was fine during and he would be fine after. 

He was always fine.

Sasuke walks speedily down the hallway, trying to avoid a frantic Hinata who obviously wants to talk to him about yesterday. He does not have the energy to address whatever happened with Naruto. 

In reality, Sasuke doesn't know if he will ever have the energy to address what happened with Naruto. 

"Mr. Uchiha, your wife is coming by the office in thirty minutes. What should I tell her?" Yahiko mentioned as he looked up from his desktop. 

Yahiko looks after his boss with a look of concern on his features as he watched the man stumble into his office. He opens his mouth to say something until he registers the terrifying grimace on his Mr. Uchiha's face and jolts when he hears the door slam. 

The college student turns his attention back to his computer and resumed his work. He had to admit while the Uchiha seemingly had everything and Yahiko was just a college student that was working towards everything Sasuke had, he felt like he was doing way better than the Uchiha.

Now, Yahiko was questioning whether or not he wanted what Sasuke had. 

Yahiko grew up in squalor and then grew up with siblings who made him feel like he was living the life he always saw other people living and had wanted for himself. But, seeing where he was now, he had all the opportunities he had always wished for. 

Wished for and worked hard for. 

But, he always knew that there was more to life than that. Nagato made sure that Yahiko knew that. 

"Yahiko?" a voice caused the intern to snap out of his thoughts. 

He soon made eye contact with none other than Mrs. Uchiha. To be honest, Yahiko was still not used to the fact that his boss was practically married to a celebrity as Sakura graced the cover of numerous magazines and ran an extremely popular fashion and travel blog. 

Sometimes, he wondered how such a dick like Sasuke could end up with a woman like her. Other than the fact he was insanely attractive. 

To be fair, that might have been the only reason. 

_Wasn't she also the sponsor of that korean yogurt drink Naruto loves so much?_

"How can I help you today, Mrs. Uchiha?" Yahiko asked as he stopped typing and smiled up at the woman. Sakura simply waved her hand. 

"Please, Yahiko. Call me Sakura. And thank you so much for being so on top of everything, my husband can be quite a handful!" the woman reassured the college student and put a hand on his shoulder casually. 

"Thank you, Mrs. Uch-, Sakura. I'll let your husband know you're here. He just got out of a meeting, so give him a minute."

Sakura nodded graciously and her eyes drifted absentmindedly around the office. 

Before Yahiko could press on the call button by his computer, Sakura reached out and grabbed the young student's hand with wide eyes. 

Yahiko's brow furrowed as the woman spoke up. 

"Would you like to come to our vow renewal ceremony?" she asked with bright eyes. 

Shocked, Yahiko stuttered, "Er. I'm not sure. Would that be okay with Mr. Uchiha?" His eyes moved towards the hand that had grabbed his own. He was quite surprised by her sudden actions but thought nothing of it. 

Sakura eagerly nodded, her dangling earrings moving fervently. 

"Of course, we'd love to have you there. Do you have a +1 in mind?" the woman leaned towards the college student with a glint in her emerald eyes. He paused to think for a moment before nodding, ignoring the smell of alcohol that emanated from her breath. 

"I do, actually." 

"Great. See you both there, I can't wait to meet them. They must be quite a catch to hook someone like you," Sakura winked as she backed away from the desk. 

Yahiko shook his head. 

"I'm sure he's not as great a catch as Mr. Uchiha, thank you so much for the invite," Yahiko mentioned. Sakura didn't respond as she moved past Yahiko and opted to walk past the desk and into Sasuke's office without any prior warning. 

The intern shrugged, releasing the breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. As he went back to continue his work, he realized his phone had been on the whole time, a silly picture of Naruto from a snapchat he forgot to exit out of staring back at him. 

Embarrassed that Sakura might have seen, Yahiko quickly ducked his head and sunk down into his seat. 

* * *

**Konoha General Hospital**

"You always had such a way with words, Itachi. I'm glad you decided to pursue teaching literature," a voice quietly spoke up which had startled an Itachi that had been dozing off in a chair by her bed. The woman merely laughed as she witnessed her son almost jump out of his skin. 

She put the leather-bound brown book in her hands down and folded her hands in her lap over her white fleece blanket. 

"I couldn't have done it without you," Itachi said. He gave his mother a warm grin, grabbing onto both her hands. They were cold. And his mother was supposed to be warm. She was always warm. 

"Oh, stop." 

"I thought about you everyday and how you would have wanted what was best for me and Fugaku never thought about what I wanted," Itachi said, clenching his teeth. The man bore an angry expression as he thought back to all the times his father had put their family through hard and painful times just because he wanted to obtain power. 

How his toxic beliefs caused Sasuke and Itachi to lose their happiness, their sense of self-worth and their mother. 

"You don't call him father anymore," Mikoto stated softly. 

A sad look graced his mother's features. 

"Why refer to him as my father when he doesn't even consider me as one of his sons?" Itachi scoffed. "Besides, I want this time to be about us and not about him," he continued. 

The two spoke for a while about Itachi's classes and what he was eating for dinner, then finished the conversation with talking about Itachi's dog when the topic of his dog sitter came up. 

"How is Naruto?" Mikoto asked curiously. "I like him for Sasuke." 

"Believe me, Naruto also wants that," Itachi said as he leaned back in his chair. "It's not happening, mom." 

"I always knew Sasuke was," Mikoto paused to think of the words she was looking for, "different." 

Itachi offered his mother a half-hearted smile. 

"Before I had children, I promised that whoever they choose to love, I would love them all the same. And you know I love you two so much. I'll love you for every bit of sad. Every bit of pain someone's put you in because you were different. You two deserve to be so happy."

The man's lip quivered as his mother spoke. 

"I know you're skeptical, but when I met Naruto, I knew that he was," Mikoto pondered for a moment. 

"Sasuke is someone who's so broken, who has lost so much hope, has pushed away so many people," the woman gripped on her sheets as tightly as she could with the energy she had left in her system. 

She was obviously frustrated at how weak she felt to help her sons. 

"Naruto can reach him." 

"Mom," Itachi sighed.

"Not this again." 

"Sasuke has a happy ending. I don't know if I'm part of it. But, I know Naruto is," Mikoto said as she drifted off. 

"That's enough for me. To know he's out there to support you both." 

"Mom," Itachi urged. 

"Won't you tell Naruto he has such lovely eyes for me?" she asked endearingly as her eyes shut. 

Her grip on the sheets loosened as she rested her head against the pillows, long black locks falling against the pillows. 

Upon realizing that his mother had fallen asleep, he took the book she had on her lap and set it down on her nightstand table. He blinked slowly, feeling drowsy. His eyes drifted towards the monitors that surrounded his mother, feeling lightheaded looking at all the machinery trying to keep his mother alive. 

For someone who had been so strong and kind, it seemed wrong for her to be here. 

And for his father to be prancing around all high and mighty. 

Suddenly, a loud, jarring beep snapped him out of his thoughts and his eyes widened as the monitor started to flatline. 

He didn't even have time to blink before he shot out of his chair, immediately pressing a button to notify hospital staff. Itachi shook his head, looking back and forth between the door and his mother, deciding whether or not to leave his mother or get help. 

"Someone! Please help my mom!" the man frantically yelled as he jumped out of his seat and ran out of the room. Nurses soon came in to diffuse the situation as they crowded around her, ushering Itachi out of the room. 

And so, Itachi stood outside the room. Feeling as helpless as he did on the night he saw his father throw his mother onto the ground and demand that she leave. Itachi wasn't at all prepared to lose her again. 

Yet, here he was feeling like Fugaku had found some way to haunt him even when he was convinced he had finally escaped him. 

* * *

_To Summer,_

_You always deserved a happy ending. When we first met, I wasn't sure what it was that you wanted. At first, I thought it was my dashing good looks but I'm confident that you were always looking for one._

_A happy ending, that is._

_Not a hot guy._

_Well, the happy ending might have entailed a hot guy in your daydreams and fantasies. Who knows? Well, you. You know. The point is, even though you were so confident in yourself and so charismatic, you gave other people so much power in whether or not you got a happy ending._

_I was lucky enough to be a part of the life you always dreamt of at one point or the other._

_To be in your spotlight inspired me. It inspires me today because you are one of the most brilliant people I know. That I will ever know. That I will ever dream of._

_And happy endings are funny because an ending implies that something is over. But, the story goes on after that, doesn't it? When a prince and a princess fall in love and get married, they ride off into the sunset. That's a happy ending. Apparently._

_But, life goes on for them doesn't it?_

_Of course, you're a writer. So, if you disagree with me, that's understandable. But if you think that I'm onto something, read on and I'll make it worth your while._

_What I'm trying to say is that maybe your life has been a culmination of happy beginnings. Maybe everyone's life is made up of happy beginnings. Happy beginnings are fluttery, aren't they?_

_When I met you on that balcony, that was our beginning wasn't it? I remember thinking about you for days afterwards even when I didn't want to. I think what went wrong with us was when I had planned our ending before our beginning._

_I thought that I knew what was best for us and it ended up being so far from it._

_I know now that our life should have been happy beginnings. My life should have been happy beginnings. Like moving into a new home as a newly married couple, carrying you over an unknown threshold. Buying furniture together for the first time, building it for the first time, and messing up for the first time._

_Sleeping on the floor because we messed up and you lost screws or I lost screws and then we ended up screwing on the floor._

_Traveling together for the first time, adopting a pet for the first time. Adopting a second pet to keep the first one company. Getting a new job, trying new things, waking up to you every morning._

_Relearning every dimple and curve and wrinkle all over again. Not just on your face, all over. Even when we get older and things start to sag._

_Making you watch movies you've never seen and vice versa. Teaching you how to play games you've never played before._

_Most importantly, learning how to love you in new ways every day. Finding new ways to love you even if I've found a hundred thousand ways to love you. I would find a hundred thousand more ways to love you if you asked._

_To see your smile, that's a happy beginning in its own right._

_Then, welcoming a child into the world and introducing them to the rest of our family, that's giving a new life a happy beginning._

_Getting them ready so that we can introduce them to the world so that they can give other people their own happy beginnings. Because a child that is blessed by even an ounce of your warmth is going to be amazing._

_Look at me, rambling, rewriting our story in beginnings._

_You must think I'm silly._

_However, on the off chance you don't think all these things are silly, I'm ready whenever you are._

_Yours,_

_Fall_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHH THANK YOu all for waiting so long. I've been so busy lately. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'm so psyched about writing the next one. 
> 
> tbh the emotional ones are soooo hard to write and ya boi naru will be happy soon i promise 
> 
> Until then y'all!!! look forward to more updates leading up to the holidays when i'm less busy :^)


	7. To Fall, Come Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke breaks down and decides it's time to come home. Naruto is conflicted about whether or not he still wants Sasuke. 
> 
> The two cross paths.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI i need a beta reader. gary has abandoned ship, not the sasunaru ship but the beta reader ship. for real, gary if you're literally out there, check our google doc LOL 
> 
> if ur interested, pls send me a msg 
> 
> also, if you were in it for the sasunaru, your time has come LOL

**8 years ago...**

"Which one is Sasuke again?" Kiba asked. Naruto groaned as he threw his head back and fell onto the bed, covering his face with his hands. 

"Kiba, we've only talked about one guy so far. Naruto has only been with one guy," Hinata emphasized. The two had been discussing what was going on with Naruto's love life for the past two hours. Only to have Kiba get lost every two minutes. 

To be fair, this love story had been twists and turns every step of the way. 

On the other hand, Kiba also didn't pay attention. 

"Oh, okay. I see," Kiba said nodding his head, "Continue!" 

Naruto sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger. Hinata suppressed a giggle as Naruto heaved. 

"I'd rather hear about how you two are doing, I don't really want to talk about Sasuke. He can go eat shit for all I care," Naruto said as he hugged his pillow closer to his body. Hinata sighed and leaned back against Kiba on the bed across from the room. 

The three of them had been seated in Hinata's double where her notorious, so-called roommate no one had ever met before embarked on her sexcapades. Hinata wasn't really sure if Naruto really wanted to be on her bed right now. 

Or holding onto one of her pillows. 

She snorted before she felt Kiba nudge her arm with a suggestive look on his face. 

Normally, Hinata would have waggled her eyebrows back. However, the two had something important to tell their friend. She breathed in deeply before nodding her head. 

"Well, we might be engaged." 

"Huh?" Naruto sputtered. The blond straightened up and leaned forward in order to hear more. 

Kiba snorted as he kissed the top of Hinata's head. 

"C-come again?" the blond asked. 

"I took Hinata out to dinner."

"And I said yes." 

Hinata couldn't help herself really. 

"Hold your horses, hun."

_Horses. Held._

Giggles ensued. 

"And we ate dinner." 

"And I said yes." 

"And then we had some dessert." 

"And I said yes." 

"And then I asked her if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with me." 

"And I said yes." 

Naruto screeched as he dove forward off the bed, skittered across the room and hugged both of them to his body tightly. 

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you two. For once in my life, I can't believe it!" Naruto exclaimed. The two hugged the blond back, huge smiles on their faces as they rejoiced. For a while, Naruto didn't have to think about Sasuke. And for that, he was thankful that he could revel in some of his friend's happiness. 

He hadn't experienced that in a while. 

And he hoped that would change someday. 

* * *

**Present Day**

"I can't believe you're twenty one years old and you don't know how to tie a tie," Naruto said as he adjusted his boyfriend's collar. 

_Boyfriend._

The author was still reeling from being in a relationship. Finally. After all these years of waiting on Sasuke, Yahiko had managed to wear him down in only a couple of weeks. Should Naruto be concerned about that? 

Well, the two were already in "attending a wedding" territory. He figured it didn't get more serious than that. 

"That's what you're here for, woman." 

"You'd be absolutely useless without me," Naruto stuck out his tongue, patting Yahiko on the shoulder before shoving him backwards onto the bed. His boyfriend flopped over, in a fit of giggles. 

"Come here, Naru," Yahiko grabbed the blond's waist and pulled him backwards onto the bed with him. Naruto yelped as he frantically scrambled upwards so he could take off his shoes before getting the sheets dirty. 

However, Yahiko caged the blond beneath him, pinning his hands onto the bed and trapping his legs with his own. The blond refused to feel any sort of arousal from the situation, but he couldn't deny he was slightly turned on. 

The blond's face soon flushed a dark red. 

"Have you no shame! I will not wear shoes on a bed," Naruto scoffed as his boyfriend nipped at his neck, loosening his tie and messing up his collar. 

"Pfft, this is a hotel. Don't worry about having to clean up." 

"We still have to sleep here, you know. Together." 

"Oh, I'm very aware of that," Yahiko said suggestively as he pushed himself up on his elbows and hovered above Naruto's face. 

"Mm. Well, wedding first. Reception, second. Then, back here." 

Naruto got up, fixing his suit in the mirror hanging on the wall of their room in front of the queen-sized bed. Soon, Yahiko snuck up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. The two looked at each other in the mirror with an amused look on their features before their grins dissipated into gentle gazes. 

"It's a vow renewal ceremony." 

"Meaning?" Naruto asked, turning around to look at the college student. 

"That they're promising each other things all over again, making sure they know they still want each other. For the rest of their lives," Yahiko said before capturing the blond's lips, pulling back to grab the blond's chin. 

Naruto gazed up at his boyfriend through long lashes and with blue, blue eyes. 

"Why did you bring me?" Naruto asked, furrowing his brow. "Why do you want me so badly?" 

Yahiko paused, grabbing a hold of Naruto's hands that fell to the side. He squeezed them together tightly, bringing his hands up to his lips and pressing tender kisses against each of the blond's knuckles.

Naruto felt his heart flutter as Yahiko murmured sweet things against his fingers. 

Never once in his whole life had he ever felt this important to someone. 

"How could anyone ever feel more like home than you do?" Yahiko spoke honestly as he stared into his boyfriend's eyes. 

Naruto melted into Yahiko as the two embraced one another. Naruto closed his eyes as he dug his face into Yahiko's shoulder. 

_Why had Naruto ever let himself deserve any less than this?_

The two kissed one another briefly before breaking apart completely and heading out of the room. Yahiko cracking another sexual innuendo which completely destroyed the mood while Naruto shoved him in the shoulder (somewhat) playfully. 

Luckily, the venue was a block away from their hotel, so they had just walked there together. Holding hands and everything. In public. Something Naruto had never been able to do in the past. 

However, as the two flooded into the venue alongside a large crowd, the blond froze as he saw Hinata walk past him alongside his other friends.

What in the world were his friends doing here?

Wasn't this a vow renewal ceremony for Yahiko's boss? 

_Unless..._

He turned towards Yahiko and opened his mouth to speak. However, he stopped as soon as his eyes settled upon the sign in front of the door which had been etched into a tastefully etched cedar plank which read:

_Onwards and Upwards: The Uchiha Ceremony_

Naruto gulped. 

"Y-Yahiko," Naruto stuttered nervously, trying to find the words to calm his nerves. Yahiko immediately noticed his boyfriend was in distress and furrowed his brow in worry. 

"What's going on, Naru? Tell me." 

Naruto shook his head and turned around, shutting his eyes but not before running into someone, champagne spilling out of their glass and onto the carpet. However, some of it got onto Naruto which prompted the blond to open up his eyes. 

"Is there something wrong?" a voice spoke which snapped him out of his reverie. 

Standing behind him was none other than Onwards and Upwards, Mrs. Uchiha.

"Sakura," Naruto said aloud. 

"I'm sorry I ran into you," the blond said awkwardly, "and your champagne. It's on the floor. Oh god. I'm sorry, on your special day too!" 

"Naruto," Sakura giggled as she threw her arms around the blond's neck, completely ignoring his apology. They both separated and Naruto finally got an eyeful of her whole outfit. She had looked more elegant than she had dressed at her other affairs. 

While Sakura usually dressed in very tastefully picked outfits based on what the color hot dogs usually were, Sakura was in a dark blue gown that hugged her figure perfectly. Her long hair was now cut and styled in a neat bob and she had green earrings that were cut into unique shapes that dangled just above her shoulders in stars. Her makeup was minimal and highlighted her eyes wonderfully. 

She clacked her gold heels together as she bounced back and forth on her toes playfully, the champagne in her glass swishing back and forth in its vesicle. 

"We couldn't have the ceremony without you, Sasuke would have absolutely forbid it." 

Naruto nodded warily as he saw the glass of champagne in Sakura's hand vibrate wildly as her hand shook. Yahiko noticed Sakura's uneasiness and attempted to diffuse it. 

While Naruto wanted to be nervous, he found himself more worried about the woman. 

And for once, someone else other than Sasuke came first. Naruto wanted to say something, but Yahiko ended up interjecting beforehand. The blond merely offered Sakura a smile as he spoke. 

"You look wonderful." 

"Thank you, Yahiko!" Sakura exclaimed as she shoved the glass in his face and stumbled backwards. The woman put her hands on her hips before throwing her head back and taking in a deep breath before returning to face the couple once more. 

"Have some! The ceremony will start shortly," the woman said before proceeding to trot off. 

The two looked after the woman with a concerned look on their faces before they settled down. 

Naruto couldn't shake off the feeling that if Sakura had been in this bad of shape, Sasuke was even worse off. 

A tight squeeze from Yahiko's hand on his own reminded him to focus on himself and the present. So, Naruto looked forwards and waited for the ceremony to start. Although, he couldn't help but fidget around in his seat. 

Even though he wanted to be over Sasuke, he knew he couldn't get over something like that so easily. 

For right now, he was glad that Yahiko was here. 

And that someone out there felt like he was home. 

Because Sasuke had certainly made sure Naruto knew he didn't make him feel that way and if anything, that privilege belonged to Sakura. 

* * *

**The Vow Renewal Ceremony**

Sasuke felt restless. 

Hadn't stopped feeling that way since his meeting with Yamanaka Pharmaceuticals. Which had been well over a week ago. Since then, Sasuke spent his time avoiding his father at all costs. 

Afraid of the embarrassment and the lecture he would get about becoming a failure like Itachi. 

Similarly, Naruto spent his time avoiding Sasuke at all costs. 

The blond hadn't picked up a single call from Sasuke. 

But then again, who needed him? Who needed anyone in this world? All people do is use each other. Lie to each other. Cheat each other. Leave each other. 

He was hoping this feeling would pass and he would transition into a feeling of indifference. At the very least, it was better to look like he didn't care than look furious. Peering up at the clock, he bounced his leg waiting for his cue to appear on stage with Sakura. 

_6:12 PM._

It was unlike her to be anything but on time. He just wanted to get the ceremony over with. This shit was supposed to start at 6:00 PM. He could hardly believe Sakura would really subject him to this just to be comfortable enough to pop a kid out. 

Just have the fucking kid. 

Start our family. 

End the rest of our lives. 

Sasuke wasn't going to be happy. Hasn't everything that's ever happened made it clear that Sasuke didn't deserve a happy ending? That happy endings aren't real? 

Disgruntled, the Uchiha got up and stomped out into the venue. 

Sasuke opened the door, pushed aside white fluffy curtains and found his way to the balcony. Maybe he could use some air. Or a smoke. Luckily, he had escaped the horde of people waiting for the ceremony to happen. 

He really didn't need to appease the crowds of people looking up to him for their beautiful marriage and inspiring lifestyle choices. Guess what? He hasn't slept in a bed next to his wife for months. 

They barely had sex with one another anymore. 

And they didn't travel or go on dates like they had in the past. 

Sasuke was ready to light his cigarette that he had hastily dug out of his pocket until his eyes travelled upwards. He had half a mind to tell the person to fuck the fuck right off. 

But, came face-to-face with a certain heiress. 

A Hyuuga one, that is. 

The woman had been dressed in a sleek lavender gown that sparkled, coupled with smooth, strappy white heels and long white gloves. The Hyuuga clan symbol was etched into the fabric tastefully. 

Not a hair out of place, tucked neatly into a braided bun. Two silver earrings with green gemstones embedded in the center of the piece. Leave it to Hinata to look extremely classy as always. And to be there at his lowest point. 

"Sasuke," she spoke out loud. 

"Hinata." 

"You haven't been sleeping," Hinata observed as she scanned the businessman up and down. 

"Way to state the obvious, are you still divorced?" Sasuke smirked, knowing he hit a sore spot as the heiress stumbled backwards. 

"Yes, I am." 

Sasuke didn't really know how to respond. 

"Does it bring you satisfaction to make other people miserable?" Hinata asked curiously, looking at her nails before placing a hand on her hip and the other leaning against the balcony. 

Sasuke scoffed, "Everyone's miserable. Not my fault Kiba divorced you." 

"I care about you, Sasuke. But you're making it real hard right now," Hinata said through clenched teeth. 

The Uchiha marched forward, getting into Hinata's face. The Hyuuga stood her ground and huffed. 

"Were you so, so vanilla in bed that Kiba got bored of you? And now he's drinking himself to death sleeping with random whores just because he couldn't get it up for you anymore. How does that feel, oh so perfect Hyuuga princess born with a silver spoon in her fucking mouth! I guess that wasn't enough for a mutt like Kiba. Does your personality come from Naruto's unrequited love for you?" Sasuke sneered. 

A sharp slap hit Sasuke's cheekbone, causing him to stumble backwards. 

"Fuck!" Sasuke yelled, holding his cheek. The Uchiha dropped his cigarette and lighter on the ground in the process. 

"Kiba is in rehab. And Naruto is my friend. He doesn't like me. I got over that a long time ago," Hinata stated, putting her glove back on after having slapped the Uchiha hard in the face. 

"I don't know how to help you, Sasuke." 

"I don't need your help! I never asked for it." 

"But you need it," Hinata shook her head as she breathed in and out deeply, "Look at you, Sasuke." 

Sasuke turned his back on her but she continued speaking. 

"You just lost a huge deal because your ego got in the way. Your marriage is in shambles because you're in love with a man. And your mom, who would be the only person to still love you even though you're a shitty person is in a coma. Congratulations, you had it all." 

Hinata strode past him, her shoulder bumping into his. 

Leaving Sasuke to stand there reflecting on how he had just lost one of his only friends because he wanted to feel superior to at least one person in his life. He wanted to not feel like a loser. 

But he had lost everything. 

Hinata. 

Itachi. 

Naruto. 

Now, his mother had lapsed into a coma. And he hadn't even been able to visit her while she was still conscious. What if she didn't wake up? What if Sasuke never got the chance to... 

_Tell his mom that he..._

Suddenly, Sasuke found himself on the stage where his wife stood. She was bouncing back and forth so he assumed she had been drinking ahead of time. Leave it to Sakura to day drinking on the second most important day of her life. 

He shook off those thoughts and straightened up as he turned to face her. 

What was he even supposed to say? 

He didn't even like her. 

And he had been so stressed out at work, he didn't write anything to say to her ahead of time. He looked around the room, scanning the audience before finally settling his eyes upon his blond. He was sure that Sakura didn't want to invite Naruto.

But what was more perplexing was that Naruto had been seated next to someone. Next to Yahiko, in fact. 

His eyes widened as the Uchiha realized their hands had been connected. 

While it occurred to Sasuke that Naruto would move on after their relationship, he never thought he would have moved on so soon. And with his intern of all people! The thought of them together made Sasuke's blood boil. In fact, the thought of Naruto with anyone would make his blood boil. 

Part of him wanted to not care, but this was Naruto. 

And Naruto was his for 10 years. 

Or at least Sasuke had always felt that way. 

All this time, had Sasuke naively held onto the thought that one day the two would end up together despite everything? Was it the fact that the two had withstood everything from their past to find each other once more? 

Sasuke couldn't shake off the feeling it was because they were meant to be together. 

And his chest ached. 

His heart hurt because the love of his life was in the crowd watching Sasuke finally falter. 

Alongside the man he's supposed to be with. 

Is this how Naruto felt when he married Sakura? Sakura, who never even deserved to be dragged into any of this. Sakura, who didn't want Naruto here, but wanted to show Sasuke that Naruto had moved on because she couldn't rely on their love for one another anymore? 

She put herself through this pain just so she could show Sasuke that Naruto had moved on and that there was no point in Sasuke holding onto him anymore. Had she finally realized their marriage would never be built on love and trust? 

What kind of marriage had the two cultivated? Over years and years?  

He was cruel. 

His father was cruel, but he was far worse. 

_It was time to be brave._

Turning towards his drunk wife, Sasuke held onto her hands before clearing his throat. 

"Sakura, you are the love of my life." 

The woman nodded as the crowd erupted in affectionate praises. 

"You're mine, Sasu," Sakura slurred. 

The Uchiha coughed as he turned his head away from the smell of her breath. 

Realizing he didn't want to embarrass Sakura by telling her the truth in front of everyone, Sasuke let out a sigh. Would he tell her eventually? He didn't know about that quite yet. 

Even though he didn't love Sakura, he was tired of hurting people. And most importantly, he was tired of hurting himself. So, he proceeded with the ceremony despite his blond being in the crowd. 

For a minute, he hoped that Yahiko would comfort his lover through these next few minutes. Sasuke gulped as he realized Naruto would have to sit there and watch as Sasuke professed his love for another in front of him. 

_Just get through this ceremony._

Sasuke thought about Hinata's words. 

_Then, let's finally go home and sort everything out._

But how could he find the words after all this time when he had been in love with Naruto? 

_What would you tell Naruto?_

Sasuke's grip on his wife's hands tightened. 

"The first time I met you, I knew it was you." 

Sakura looked at Sasuke with earnest as he continued, regaining her balance as he continued speaking. 

"No one is as funny as you are, as genuine as you are, caring, affectionate, beautiful, _warm_ ," Sasuke paused. 

"Did you know you snore?" he asked. 

The crowd laughed. 

"I vow to sleep next to you every night even though you snore," Sasuke held onto Sakura's hands tighter. 

"I will eat your cooking even if it's bad." 

"If it tastes like poison," Sasuke laughed. 

"I'll take care of you," Sakura finished his sentence with a smile. 

"I vow to go on dates with you and to always have a crush on you. And to jump your bones even when we're old people." 

"My parents are here," Sakura pretended to whisper. 

"Mine aren't," Sasuke joked lightheartedly. He noticed Naruto's smile falter. 

"Most importantly, I promise you no more running."

"I vow to treasure you as much as I treasured my mother. Hold onto every memory with you. With reverence. With warmth." 

Sasuke turned back towards the crowd, realizing that Naruto and Yahiko were no longer there. He pretended not to be affected and listened to what Sakura had to say before the crowd erupted into applause. 

The two shared a kiss and the reception commenced, Ino jumping onstage to hug Sakura tightly as well as some of her other friends. While they were distracted, Sasuke hastily informed Sakura he would be heading back to the office for the night. 

Sakura nodded, slightly distracted by the festivities. 

Unfortunately, she was probably used to being left alone by Sasuke. 

Nevertheless, Sasuke was grateful because he had someone he needed to visit. 

_This was Sasuke coming home._

* * *

**Itachi's House**

_Itachi: Mikoto has lapsed into a coma. Meet at the hospital if you can. I'll meet up with you later. I have some papers to go over._

_Naruto: Sure thing. Just have to drop Yahiko off first._

_Itachi: How was the wedding?_

_Itachi: ;)_

_Naruto: I'll just explain when i see you later_

_Naruto: pls don't ;) me_

_Itachi: ;(_

_Naruto: listen_

Itachi put down his phone, rubbing his eyes with his left hand before gazing down at his papers again. He hadn't been able to concentrate ever since his mother's condition had gotten worse. 

And he was relatively new to this job. 

He couldn't lose it. So, he was glad he had Naruto as a friend to make sure someone was there when Mikoto woke up. Itachi marked the last two papers, putting them in a neat stack before letting out a big sigh. 

He stretched backwards in his seat, letting out a big yawn. 

Itachi figured he could get something to eat before heading off and also wondered what his mother would want. Aside from Sasuke coming to his senses, he supposed. 

He figured Mikoto would like looking over some old pictures so he headed down to the garage. The professor flipped the lights on, slipping on a pair of sandals even though he was wearing socks and shuffled through old cardboard boxes. 

Ones that his mother had brought over to his house when she was moving and figured she couldn't find a place for them in her new space. 

Itachi shrugged as he looked through the boxes, silently praying there weren't any bugs that found their way into any nooks or crannies Itachi's hands could possibly enter and engage with.

Photos of Sasuke's high school graduation, Itachi's, their old house, baby photos, letters. He figured Mikoto would enjoy the baby photos. She loved being a mother. And she loved being their mother. _Wait._

_Letters?_

Itachi paused. 

He read the first one aloud. 

_To Spring,_

_I remember finding you on a silvery shore. Your arms were outstretched among boundless waves. Like there was something calling out to you from across the ocean. Did you ever hear it? And did it call your name?_

_Your friends wanted to leave the beach and go get ice cream, but you stayed behind and sat on the beach. Digging your feet into the sand as you walked into the tide, feeling the water rush about your ankles and seep back into the ocean._

_You noticed me staring at you when a horde of seagulls ambushed me for my bag of chips._

_I was so mortified to be in my own body in that situation. You laughed and shooed them away, your billowy sundress flowing about in the wind as you waved your arms around manically._

_It sounds strange but when you smiled at me and you pulled me into the water and you let the seagulls have my chips, I knew it was us._

_It was going to be us for the rest of our lives._

_But you always seemed to drift off no matter how much I wanted to be in your spotlight. Did the ocean call out to you?_

_What did it say?_

_Love,_

_Winter_

Spring? Winter? 

The words replayed over in his mind, but quickly brushed it off after realizing he had to book it to the hospital. 

Itachi closed the box up before running upstairs and figured he would ask his mother what these letters were when she woke up. She was going to wake up, Itachi reminded himself firmly. He figured they had been important to her. 

After all, she had kept them after all this time. 

_Did the ocean call out to you?_

Itachi furrowed his brow, starting up his car, the box beside him with photos and letter in tow. 

_What did it say?_

It was oddly poetic and beautiful in a sense. Did his mother write them? Were they part of some story? Who was Winter and who was Spring? Itachi sighed as he focused on the road, backing out of his driveway and speeding off into the night.  

* * *

**Konoha General Hospital**

"Naruto?"

"Sasuke," Naruto said as he got up from the chair he had been sitting in next to Mikoto. 

"Fancy seeing you here," Sasuke said in disbelief. 

Naruto nodded. 

"How?" 

"Itachi wants someone to be here when she wakes up," Naruto trailed off, his voice breaking as he spoke. 

"You've met her?" Sasuke's face brightened. Naruto nodded and explained that the two had met the night that they argued. The blond headed off to the hospital to meet up with Itachi. 

And Mikoto was warm. 

"She must have liked you," Sasuke spoke. 

"Still wasn't you." 

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat as he felt Naruto's gaze upon him. 

"Yahiko?" Sasuke asked, his voice shaky. 

"Sakura?" 

Sasuke froze up and Naruto spoke up again. 

"I didn't think it would be appropriate. He felt the same, so he stayed at the hotel," Naruto explained. 

"Listen, did you know Sakura," Sasuke trailed off, "was going to invite you despite everything that's happened?" 

Naruto shook his head, "I knew she didn't want me there and I didn't know who Yahiko worked for before accepting the invite. I put the pieces together on my own. She wanted you to see us together." 

"Naruto-," Sasuke said, his tone was unsteady. 

"Let's not get into it right now, Sasuke," Naruto spoke. 

Sasuke nodded. 

The Uchiha's eyes scanned the hospital room, his blood ran cold as he saw all of the machines that were connected to his mother, the woman looking so helpless and vulnerable in her thin, white gown and oxygen mask. 

"I'm sorry, mom. I should have come back a long time ago," Sasuke whispered as he pressed his forehead to his mother's, wrapping his hands tightly around hers. Tears started to stream down from his face. 

And he would have felt embarrassed had it been anyone else. 

But, it was Naruto. 

_And Naruto felt like..._

"You're here now, Sasuke. That's what matters." 

Naruto walked up to Sasuke, offering the man a hug. 

The Uchiha soon collapsed into Naruto's embrace and the two settled down onto the chairs in the corner of the room where Sasuke wept openly onto Naruto's shoulder. His cries were weak and subdued. 

The blond merely ran soothing circles up and down the man's back as he closed his eyes. The Uchiha was surprised when Naruto's warm fingers arrived at the nape of his neck. 

Sasuke's head shot up as he looked at Naruto with wide eyes, his gaze softened when Naruto smiled softly. The Uchiha couldn't help it when he let out a sob, peering back at his mother who looked so weak and unlike her usual self. 

Naruto let Sasuke rest his head on his and they interlocked their fingers tightly, gazing upon Mikoto with sad eyes and beating hearts. 

Earlier when Sasuke held her hands, he was surprised at how cold she felt. All Sasuke ever remembered was her warmth. His memories were filled with her endearing kisses, warm embraces and sweet reassurances that he would have everything he wanted because she would give him all the love and support he would ever need. 

He wanted to believe her and he did. 

When she left, Sasuke felt betrayed. Betrayed that someone who swore to be by his side left him without a goodbye. 

Now, Sasuke is glad she never said goodbye. Because he's here with her now. And he'll be here despite whatever anyone else tells him. Not even his father could separate the two. He had missed out on this for his entire life as a result of his father's greed and selfishness. 

It was Sasuke's turn to be in control of his future and right now, he wanted to be someone his mother could be proud of. Someone that Itachi could be proud of. Perhaps even someone Naruto could be proud of. 

But, he wasn't so sure of the last one. 

Sasuke was beside himself. Filled with anger that he had let someone like Naruto down over and over again. 

The Uchiha wanted to be shocked at how someone like his mother who was so full of sunshine could appear so cold and lifeless, but he wasn't. After all this time, Sasuke had subjected Naruto to the very same process. 

Naruto was an extrovert. He was wild and brave and silly and everything that he wanted to be. The blond owned himself, he owned the fact that he was beautiful and bright, sweet and most importantly, the blond loved himself just as much as he loved his friends and family. 

And not many people ever get to feel that way. Naruto was lucky in that way, to have felt like that since the beginning. 

Then Naruto met him on a balcony. 

A college freshman. The beginning of supposedly "the best years of his life." 

And Sasuke had taken advantage of his purity. 

He had taken away so much of Naruto's happiness, thinking that his own satisfaction was more important than his precious dobe's. After all, if there was anything his father had taught him, it was that he came first before anyone else. That an Uchiha wasn't afraid of hurting anyone if it meant their success and survival at the end of the day. 

And that people who let themselves be manipulated and abused by them lacked conviction and it was their own fault for weak. 

Every day, Sasuke hurt him over and over. Whether it was tricking Naruto into befriending him so he could find out more about Minato and bring him down, making Naruto fall in love with him or even deny ever having loved the blond at all when it came to marrying Sakura. 

Sasuke paused. 

He had married Sakura right in front of his very eyes. 

Naruto wasn't even in the pews like their other friends and family. He had asked Naruto to be his best man and stand right beside him as Sasuke vowed to be Sakura's husband for the rest of their lives. 

For better or for worse. 

For richer or for poorer. 

In sickness and in health. 

His friend had been forced to carry the burden of his broken heart while Sasuke moved forward. Sasuke planned trips and vacations, buying houses, and raising a family while Naruto observed silently. 

The world kept spinning for Sasuke, but it didn't for Naruto. Not after the balcony. Not after Sasuke. 

The Uchiha gulped as he stopped his sniffling and looked up at the blond once more. The two released their grip on one another and Naruto turned his body to face Sasuke with a hopeful glint in his eyes. 

"Dobe, I have to apologize to you," Sasuke began. Naruto nodded as the man in front of him struggled to find the words to continue and simply waited for him to finish. 

"Take your time." 

"I've had 10 years to say sorry," the Uchiha laughed, running a hand through his smooth, black hair. 

"And I would give you 10 more," Naruto continued, "I'd give you anything, Sasuke." 

The two looked at one another directly and for the first time in a long time, the two felt like they were exactly where they were supposed to be. That everything between the two was leading up to this moment. 

Sasuke shook his head. Obviously what the blond was saying was something he was used to hearing from the blond and he was happy to hear the blond was ready to forgive him. Naruto was always ready to forgive him while Sasuke was never ready to apologize. 

But, the blond deserved better. 

Better than him. Better than them. 

"Naruto, I don't deserve you." 

Before Naruto had the chance to interject, Sasuke continued, "Maybe I deserved you before my mom left. I think that was the only version of me I ever liked. But Naruto, I don't deserve you here. With me. Right now." 

"Do you want me to leave, then?" Naruto asked confusedly, anger brimming beneath the surface at the notion Sasuke wanted him gone and didn't actually want to apologize to the blond. 

"No, no, no," Sasuke shook his head in frustration. 

"I'm bad at this." 

"You're bad at a lot of things, Sasuke."

"I'm sorry I never gave you the future you wanted," Sasuke bit his lip before speaking again, "I want you to know you weren't alone in wanting that. I loved you and I'm so, so sorry I left you alone. You could never leave me alone. I always thought about you and convinced myself I didn't want you, but I did. I was vain and selfish and thought I was out of your league and all these other horrible things. I am _horrible_." 

"Disreputable." 

"Atrocious."

"Despicable?"

"Despicable." 

"Awful," Sasuke said. 

"Awful," Naruto repeated, suppressing the urge to laugh at the Uchiha's antics. 

"You were willing to give me another 10 years and I know part of you was kidding, but I know you. You would actually give me another 10 years," Sasuke cried out as tears welled up in his eyes. Naruto's absent grin faded away as Sasuke whimpered. 

"Why do you always forgive me so easily?" Sasuke asked genuinely. 

"Because even though that night, you hurt me so badly," Naruto started, "it gave me some much needed clarity." 

"I see." 

"I've set my sights on taking over the publishing firm finally. I'm also in a relationship now," Naruto said much to Sasuke's disdain. 

"He's a good kid." 

"God, please don't call him a kid and make me feel even older than I already do," Naruto laughed and his Uchiha couldn't help but laugh alongside him. 

"He was like ten when we were in college," Sasuke snorted. 

"No need to be jealous," Naruto insisted. 

Sasuke didn't respond and the two sat there not speaking to each other as the two pondered for a minute. 

He avoided Naruto's gaze as he told him, "I want to ask you for a lifetime." 

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto gasped, his breath felt like it was being pulled out from him. 

"I told Sakura all these things. At the ceremony," Sasuke said. 

"The truth is, I wanted to tell _you_ all those things, I thought of you and how I felt about you and every little thing I've denied myself over the past 10 years. It was always you. I always wanted to come back home to you," he urged on. 

Naruto grinned as Sasuke continued to speak. 

"How could it ever not be you?" the Uchiha leaned forward. 

He cradled Naruto's cheek in his hand. Despite everything, the blond felt himself unconsciously lean into Sasuke's touch. Naruto let out an exhale before Sasuke leaned forward and kissed the blond fervently. 

Naruto's eyes fluttered shut as Sasuke kissed the blond tenderly before pulling back. The two exchanged a wary glance before their lips met again once more, the two breaking apart after realizing where they were. 

"Naru," Sasuke breathed out before moving away from the blond in order to face him. Sasuke held onto the blond's shoulders with his hands as their heads felt like they had been spinning. 

"S-Sasuke," Naruto stuttered, "Not here." 

"But somewhere?" Sasuke asked. 

"Sasuke, you're married." 

"I can change that. I don't want to run from you anymore. From this," Sasuke admitted steadfastly. 

Naruto shook his head, before getting up. 

"Tell me what you're thinking." 

"I'm moving on from you. I'm getting my life together finally. I have a boyfriend!" Naruto hissed quietly. Sasuke didn't know what to say as the blond frantically paced across the floor. The Uchiha reclined back in his seat, letting the blond sort through things on his own. 

"Well, maybe it's my turn to wait for you." 

Naruto stopped muttering as he turned to look at Sasuke, pausing in the middle of the hospital room as he looked at Sasuke with a hopeful glint in his eyes. 

"As much as I hate to admit it," Sasuke huffed, "Yahiko is good for you." 

Naruto laughed as Sasuke crossed his arms, most likely pissed off at the thought of Naruto and Yahiko gallivanting off into the sunset. Or gallivanting off into the bedroom. 

"Yahiko isn't you." 

"Maybe that's a good thing." 

"But you were the best thing in my life." 

"Were."

"Okay, why are we going back and forth now?" Naruto furrowed his brows as he reasoned with the Uchiha. 

"Don't you want me?" Naruto asked. 

"I want what's best for you," Sasuke admitted. 

"After everything I've put you through, you still brought me home," the Uchiha affirmed.  

"How could I choose any other option besides you, Sasuke? You're Sasuke," Naruto cried out exasperatedly.

"I can't remember not wanting you," the blond cried out.  

"Then, why are you having such a hard time deciding?" Sasuke asked with a soft smile. Naruto was confused at the Uchiha's behavior and before he could speak again, the two heard the door click open. 

"Because you're finally thinking about yourself for once, Naruto," a voice interjected as the person closed the door. 

The two froze as they turned around and came face-to-face with a peeved Itachi. The older Uchiha brother strolled into the room and looked at Naruto. 

"Sasuke and I have a lot to talk about," he spoke before waving his friend off with a kind grin. 

"I'm not finished," Sasuke said as he saw Naruto arrive at the door and pause. 

"Me neither, Sasuke," the man answered as he turned the corner. Sasuke wondered what kind of expression was on Naruto's face as he spoke those words that filled Sasuke's heart up with hope. 

And fear. 

Soon, Itachi took a seat next to his younger brother. 

Sasuke immediately switched gears. After all, he had a lot of apologizing to do. 

"Itachi, listen. That night I yelled at you, let me apologize to you," Sasuke said, wiping away the tears he was suddenly aware were streaming down his face. He sniffed before continuing. 

"I'm so embarrassed and ashamed for how I treated you. I should have listened to you and I'm so, so sorry. You've just been here with mom all this time, worrying about her and taking care of her all on your own. I've never supported you. I looked down on you for disobeying our father and leaving the company. I thought you were weak. And I hate myself for it," Sasuke cried out. 

"Sasuke," Itachi trailed off. 

"All you ever wanted for me was for me to be happy. And I shunned you, our family, I told you I didn't need you. But, I do. I've been walking around like a corpse for the past two weeks hurting everyone I care about!" Sasuke reasoned. 

Itachi paused. 

"Despite everything, Naruto told me about mom. And I didn't want to come here because I thought I could stay away. But, the truth is I've wanted to see her so badly over the past few years, but I thought pleasing father was more important. I was scared to let go of the life I have now to chase after the life I've worked so hard to leave behind." 

"Who did you hurt Sasuke?" his brother asked truthfully. 

His brother sniffled before answering, "God, I don't know. Naruto, for one. That night I told you off, he tried to bring me here to see mom and I told him to get the fuck away from me. That he was obsessed with me and I didn't need him." 

"I'm sorry our father..." Itachi trailed off. 

"It was me, Itachi. We can't just keep blaming things on father. I hurt Naruto." 

"Sasuke," Itachi began, "You can let go of these things. They're in the past. Why do you insist on reliving every moment of your life that was filled with pain? Why not focus on moments when you were actually happy whether or not they were few or far between?" Itachi urged on. 

"I told Hinata that it was her own fault for her divorce," Sasuke said bluntly. 

Itachi was taken aback. While his older brother had low expectations for him him, this was a new low even for him. 

"I told you that you never fully reached your potential because you weren't strong-willed enough to follow our father's path for us," Sasuke said as he shook his head. 

"I deserve to relive the pain I put other people through, it's about time I learn that the world does not revolve around me," the younger Uchiha's voice cracked, "My world has always revolved around Naruto and I lost him and I lost mom and I lost you and I lost Hinata." 

"Sasuke, I love you," Itachi said, feeling like he hadn't spoken those words since they were young. But, he still felt like the words were necessary.  

"But, just because you love me doesn't mean you have to forgive me. I don't have to be here if you don't want me here," Sasuke pleaded. 

Itachi pulled his younger brother into a hug and Sasuke's body went slack against his. 

"I want you here," his older brother reassured him. He leaned backwards before flicking his little brother's forehead affectionately before the two settled back down into a long-awaited embrace. 

Sasuke's forehead comically throbbing as the younger brother weeped against his brother's shoulder. 

"Mom can't wait to see you when she wakes up," Itachi said. 

"Both of us," Sasuke repeated. 

Itachi nodded and squeezed his little brother closer to his body. 

While he was glad his brother had finally come home, he wasn't sure about Sasuke and Naruto. While he had rooted for them at some point, Naruto was his friend and he wanted what was best for him. 

Sasuke still had a lot of growing up to do. 

He was married. And Naruto was finally moving on with his life. 

For right now, Itachi would set aside those thoughts and the two would wait for their mother to wake up. 

After all, this was a homecoming. And Mikoto was home. 

* * *

_To Summer,_

_You always felt like home. And I thought that a home was walls and your parents and after school snacks. Now I know that home is more than that. Home brings you back even when you've drifted so, so far. Home is saving you from yourself when you're spiraling. Home is you._

_You have always been my home._

_And I've been a runaway ever since I knew I needed you because I didn't want to need anyone._

_It was naive for me to think you would wait for me and you would want me. You're everything I'm not and maybe that's what I need. No, I know that's what I need. Even when I don't deserve you, I'll always need you._

_You make me believe I am more than I am. More than I have ever been. More than I will be._

_You inspire me endlessly with your dreams and your cheer. There has never been a day without sun because you are here on this Earth, spreading kindness in the face of bitterness._

_You are kind even when people treat you horribly. Even when people mistreat you and drag your name through the mud, because at the end of the day, you get to say you were kind._

_And that's not something a lot of people get to say._

_And you love with everything. With your head and your heart and you love fully._

_I'm learning to be more like you. I think that I owe the people that I've hurt in the past the kindness that you have shared with me. The grace and compassion that you've showered over me like rainfall._

_Despite rain being your least favorite weather._

_And it being mine._

_Don't you know rain makes the flowers and trees grow? That flowers take rain and turn them into petals and oxygen and life? Imagine this world without flowers and trees and plants._

_That's what the world would feel like without you._

_Sun does that too. Make flowers, grow that is._

_Has anyone told you that you're like the sun? I've never met someone that shines as much as you do. Everything about you is sunshine and I know I've hurt you in the past and that light in you has faltered._

_I'm sorry that I did that to you. I'm sorry that others never got to feel your sunshine because of the way I treated you. And I'm sorry that I wasn't sorry sooner._

_But, without rain, sun can't help the flowers grow. And sometimes, suffering is necessary in order to know what happiness is like. Things can't grow unless the things around them die off. Old plants make way for new plants to take root and sprout._

_Well, this really turned into third grade all over again huh? With photosynthesis and the circle of life and all. I guess I have one more thing to be sorry about, adding onto my very long list of things to be sorry about. And people to apologize to._

_The moral of the story is you brought me home. No, you didn't bring me home. But you inspired me to come back all on my own and that's asking for a lot because I've been running away from it for so long._

_And I haven't felt anything for lifetimes._

_Luckily, home feels like you._

_I've come home._

_Have you, Summer?_

_Yours,_

_Fall_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much again for all of the feedback! It really motivated me to keep writing. I will be sure to update more after finals week, but I was feeling really inspired and had to post. :) 
> 
> I feel like I also have to lowkey apologize for all of the supposed pain I have put through you all. TAT 
> 
> until next time!! ;U;


	8. Enough, Yours Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto finds out about Yahiko's lie and the two part ways. Sasuke is still on the road to redeeming himself and has his sights set on the love of his life. 
> 
> Mikoto is still asleep. Itachi hopes that both her sons will be there when she wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being so patient with me! I hope that you all like this chapter :)

**The Night of the 56th Annual Uchiha Foundation Benefit Dinner**

The Yamanaka Banquet Hall was buzzing with activity, chatter from rich folks pouring out from the main entrance into the many corridors, rooms and manors of the space that was adorned with opulent and modern furniture, architecturally impossible feats of ingenious design and to top it all off, rare antique contemporary artwork dedicated to their daughter's immense love for flowers. 

Looking out over into the garden, guests could peer into the intricate hedge maze that was meticulously taken care of day in and day out by the Yamanaka family's dedicated, generously compensated and adored workforce.  

After all, to make the heiress happy brought joy into all of their hearts. 

With Ino gone and off to college, the garden looked different. When they were younger, he assumed that it had all looked more magical and now that magic had worn off. He smiled fondly as he recalled running through the maze, linking arms with Ino, Kiba and Hinata as they ran through the maze laughing so hard they all collapsed on top of one another. 

Afterwards, they would retreat into the gazebo and share stories about their futures with tea sandwiches, blueberry galettes, and chocolate covered strawberries accompanied by teacups full of lavender elderflower lemonade and Kiba's teacup full of soda.

Ino wanted to own a flower shop and grow as many flowers as she could and hoped that people felt comfortable setting their own price rather than demanding her own price for them. She felt like if a flower spoke to someone, they should be able to have it and spare whatever they had. Even if they had nothing to give, she felt like giving away flowers was like spreading magic. 

For Hinata, she wanted to have a small house in the countryside and she wanted to be happy. She didn't like the pressure to be perfect that her parents had enforced upon her at a young age. 

Kiba wanted to have 400 dogs. 

That was it. 

That was his whole dream. 

While Naruto found it admirable, he found himself wanting something different from his friends. He wanted to be seen for who he truly was rather than have people respect him or want him for who they thought he was. 

He wanted to be seen. 

As they all grew older, their interests had shifted and they had spent less time in the garden and more time indoors, as their futures loomed in over their heads. And with that, Ino turned away from her flowers and coped with the pressure through partying. 

Kiba found solace in any strong alcohol. 

And Hinata found comfort in making sure her friends came out alive, taking time to care for others allowed her to ignore her own concerns about her future. 

Naruto's gaze towards the garden from inside the main entertaining space of the Banquet Hall softened as the lights in the garden flickered for a moment before turning off completely. Ino's father had requested the lights be turned off as everyone wanted to be inside since it was brisk outside and wanted to promote energy efficiency. 

He supposed he had a point, but Naruto was naive in thinking that if he snuck through the garden and sat in the gazebo, his worries would wash away and he could be a kid again. 

In reality, Ino's father knew how sad looking at the garden made his daughter. While her happiness should have been his main concern, he was angered because it drew his daughter's focus away from the company and reminded her of her forlorn dreams of opening up her own flower shop. 

Naruto locked eyes with a worker from the garden and remembered her from when he was young. She looked sad, snipping away dead flowers and petals and Naruto's brow furrowed as he realized it was an unusual time for the flowers to die. 

He peered over at Ino who had asked her father if she could go outside, he shook his head disapprovingly before he stormed off. 

Now that he thought about it, there had never been a time where he remembered the garden not being in full bloom. Even during winter, pansies and winter violets sprung out through the rainy mornings when the kids had gotten up before their parents and ran into the gazebo to drink hot chocolate in their pajamas. 

Perhaps without Ino there, the flowers were afraid to blossom. 

It was a sad realization, the thought that the home Ino grew up in was now a space that could be rented out to anyone who wanted to host grandiose events such as weddings or other special occasions. Now, it was being used to host the 56th Annual Uchiha Foundation Benefit Dinner, where the Uchiha family celebrated their philanthropic efforts. 

Folks from rich or affluent families came from around the world to donate to charities the Uchiha family had created or supported over the years and while it was a noble cause, Naruto didn't like these kinds of events. 

It didn't really make sense to Naruto since they should have probably donated the money used to host the event to charity, but he supposed it made the family look good and it was fun for everyone to dress up. 

But, Naruto wasn't necessarily jumping for joy.

In fact, there was actually a list of places Naruto would rather be right now and things he would rather be doing. Iceland. Tokyo. The strip mall. The dentist. Integrals. 

Because this wasn't just a rich family event where someone would try to get Naruto to marry their son or daughter, this was an Uchiha event. And Sasuke, who was simultaneously the person he was in love with and hated with every fiber of his being, happened to be an Uchiha.

To summarize the whole situation, he really didn't want to run into Sasuke, especially after finding out Sasuke was a sleaze. Naruto should have known better. After all, Sasuke was the type of guy who changed out his whole closet every week. 

It shouldn't have come as a surprise that he felt the same way about his partners. 

"Naruto," a voice snapped him out of his daze. He suddenly remembered he was holding onto a glass and nearly dropped it as his father put a hand on his shoulder. His father wore a forced smile on his face and it was rare to see him without mom. 

"Hey dad," he responded. 

Naruto quirked a brow, "Something the matter?" 

"I know that this is probably the last place you want to be right now," Minato spoke seriously, "especially because Sasuke was, actually, is-," his dad emphasized before getting cut off. 

Suddenly, his mom had approached them with an excited expression, linking arms with a man who stared Naruto down with a mischievous glint in his eye. Naruto gulped nervously as his mother urged him to come over. 

"This is Utakata," Kushina screeched, his mom obviously more excited than he was about the supposed arrangement. The man stuck out his hand and Naruto hesitantly took it. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Naruto bowed his head. 

"The pleasure is all mine," Utakata replied coolly. 

He had to admit his mom had good taste and he supposed the awkward behavior from his dad meant that he somewhat approved of this guy too. Utakata wore a slim dark suit with a white dress shirt, the first couple of buttons undone, revealing smooth and defined collarbones. 

His pants were tailored to fit and his build was a bit taller and bulkier than Naruto, so he assumed the man was more mature if not older than the university student. 

He had his dark tresses styled so that his hair was brushed backwards, but a couple strands fell and framed his sharp cheekbones and smooth, elegant features in a way that he was certain made men and women swoon. 

"Utakata is working on your father's campaign, he'd really like to talk to you so he can get an idea of who you are since he wants to do a feature on our family for this next election!" Kushina exclaimed. Minato nodded excitedly. 

 _Whew_ , Naruto thought. 

He definitely assumed that his parents were trying to set him up with some rich guy. 

Was it bad Naruto was kind of disappointed considering how attractive this guy was? 

"How about we retreat to the balcony? It's quite loud here." 

Naruto nodded and followed Utakata as he led them out of the main hall and his parents waved them off. Utakata's stride was confident. In fact, most people moved out of his way as opposed to him having to dodge anyone. 

Meanwhile, Naruto struggled to follow him as he maneuvered through the painted bodies of glittery gowns and satiny suits. Utakata eventually offered a hand which Naruto had been grateful for.

And Naruto didn't want his grip to feel warm, but it did. Subconsciously, a smile made its way onto Naruto's face as the two walked through the crowd and finally arrived at the balcony overlooking the garden where there was no one to disturb them. 

Little did Naruto know, a certain Uchiha had caught sight of the scene as he glanced down from the top of one of the grand bright, marble staircases. He gripped onto the railing, furrowing his brows as Utakata shot him a smirk before shutting the doors. 

* * *

**The Night After the Ceremony**

To say Naruto felt skittish in his skin was an understatement. Although it was similar to a feeling he had grown accustomed to over the past couple years, what he was feeling now was akin to being caught in a winter storm without protection and a hail storm prickling at his skin and eyes. 

He was haunted. By his father's legacy.

The fear that he would end up alone kept him up at night, accompanied by Fugaku's unkind words over the years, and his anxiety over not being good enough as well as the ever present feeling that Sasuke was trying to say goodbye. 

Everything made Naruto want to curl up in bed and have it eat him whole. 

Luckily for Naruto, being with Yahiko helped put him at ease. 

In the mornings, Yahiko made sure that Naruto received reassuring texts that made Naruto feel wanted, deserving of care and respect, and affirmed. He even dropped by Naruto's place sometimes with cheesy things like instant ramen and comic books. Although they were silly, these acts of kindness meant everything to Naruto.

The man was finally starting to say goodbye to the habits that had held him back all these years. 

Yahiko had come into his life in an unusual way, but he was sure glad he came when he did. Especially because of the recent rough patch he had gone through with Sasuke. 

They had said really nasty things to one another. But, Sasuke ended up coming home. 

_To Mikoto._

_To Itachi._

_To Naruto._

Now, Sasuke was back in his life now and in a way that was starting to unravel everything that Naruto had built in order to finally overcome the pain and misery he had endured over the years. 

Naruto sighed as he fidgeted with his sweaty palms, trying to piece together how he could possibly break the news to Yahiko, who was currently taking a shower in their hotel bathroom.

Why was he reeling again just because Sasuke offered him a future with him? 

Why couldn't he let go of the past and the person he wanted so badly? Especially when he had found someone like Yahiko who loved him and cherished him? 

Did he even want a future with Sasuke or was he afraid that he wouldn't have any excuses to fall back on? For ignoring his friends, not getting out of bed, or not meeting deadlines? 

While Sasuke had weighed on his mind and caused him immense pain and heartbreak, the man felt like a crutch that he could fall on and blame for his shortcomings and mishaps. 

When Naruto finally gave it his all with nothing to hold him back, would he disappoint Tsunade? Would he still be able to take charge of the publishing firm? 

Naruto was afraid of being free. To him, it was like falling and he didn't know what would happen if he let go. 

The sound of the door being unlocked snapped Naruto out of his thoughts as Yahiko exited the hotel's bathroom, steam pooling at his feet and a towel wrapped around his waist. Naruto would have felt embarrassed but the two had already seen plenty of each other.

Arguably a lot more than Naruto ever thought the college student would see. And vice-versa. 

His boyfriend walked over to him, asking him if he was okay. Naruto nodded but Yahiko wasn't convinced. Usually, Naruto was comfortable making eye contact with him. Instead, Naruto's gaze was fixed towards the ground. 

"I'm just tired, I think I'll sleep soon," Naruto lied. Instantly, he regretted it because he knew that Yahiko deserved the truth about what happened at the hospital. 

"Can I kiss you goodnight?" Yahiko asked, wanting to make sure it was okay. 

Naruto flinched. 

The memories of his kiss with Sasuke at the hospital filled him with immense guilt and regret, especially with Yahiko's expectant amber eyes. He felt that he had dropped down to Sasuke's level. 

"Hey," Yahiko said reassuring his partner, "it's okay." 

Naruto put a hand on Yahiko's bare chest, smiling softly.  _He did not deserve his kindness or understanding. Naruto had just kissed someone else even though he was in a committed relationship. A monogamous one at that._

Furrowing his brows, Yahiko turned around and slipped into a pair of jeans before settling back down onto the bed. Naruto's gaze was fixed on his strong back muscles as he tugged on the pair of pants. 

Naruto supposed this was what he got for getting too comfortable, things would always inevitably end in disaster the second he had calmed down or found peace. He wondered if he would ever feel safe or if he deserved it at all. 

He knew the truth would hurt his partner, but he deserved to know. The fact of the matter was,  _is_ , Naruto let Sasuke kiss him. And Naruto was a lot of things. But, he wasn't a cheater. He refused to keep the truth from him like how Sasuke had throughout their entire relationship. 

"Sasuke was at the hospital. He-," Naruto bit his lip, "told me he wanted to be with me. He kissed me and I kissed him back. I'm so sorry, I know it doesn't fix things, but I am so, so sorry." 

Yahiko instantly backed away from Naruto. He remained silent. Naruto felt an aching sensation in his chest that threatened to burst out as Yahiko turned away from him. He had never seen Yahiko act this cold. In all the time that he had gotten to know the college student he was always eager to please Naruto. Now, he couldn't even bear to look at him. 

In truth, he didn't blame him one bit. 

"After all this time, you still want Sasuke," Yahiko said slowly, the words dripping out of his mouth maliciously. Naruto felt the venom seep into his skin as the two faced one another once more. 

Naruto shifted awkwardly on the bed and huffed indignantly, "That's not what I'm saying and you know it." 

Yahiko opened his mouth to speak and moved to stand up from the bed.

“Can you please tell me what is going through your head right now? I can’t stand you being mad at me,” Naruto reasoned with his boyfriend.

“What’s going through my mind is that after everything you’ve gone through, all the pain and suffering he’s put you through, he offers you the chance to be with him after 10 years and you want to take it?” Yahiko scoffs incredulously.

“I didn’t say I was going to say yes, nothing is written in stone,” Naruto pleaded, reaching for Yahiko’s arm.

Yahiko maneuvered around it and hissed out angrily. Naruto flinched, astounded at how vicious the college student was acting towards him.

In all the time that the two had spent together, they hadn’t ever gotten into a fight that was this bad.

Although Naruto had never been in a serious relationship other than Sasuke, he felt that it wasn’t healthy to be at odds this early on.

He had spent his whole life being at odds with Sasuke. Naruto finally had something good going for him, he hated the part of himself that still pined desperately after Sasuke. 

“After everything I've done for you, how could you not realize he doesn't have your best interests at heart? I bet the bastard never once tried to call you or text you when we had our bet. I shouldn't have even had to block his number," Yahiko huffed out in frustration. 

His pacing stopped as Naruto's expression changed from one filled with concern and worry to something more sinister. He got up from the bed they had both shared and Naruto leaned up to meet his lover's eyes. 

“What did you say?” Naruto accused Yahiko pointedly with a finger jammed into his chest.

Yahiko jolted backwards and inched closer to grab ahold of Naruto’s hand. The other man snatched his hand out of his grasp.

"I couldn't risk not having you, Naruto. You don't understand, I need you and you would have never left Sasuke," Yahiko pleaded. 

"Our whole relationship is based off a lie, you cheated!" Naruto exclaimed exasperatedly. All this time, his relationship with him had been built off a petty lie and meaningless insecurities. Yahiko knew how much Naruto valued honesty and had betrayed his trust this whole time. 

"You kept Sasuke from talking to me," Naruto repeated. 

"For good reason too, look at how badly he fucked up!" Yahiko yelled, gesturing towards the latter. 

Naruto remained silent, his bottom lip quivering. 

"I know I'm fucked up, I just didn't expect to ever hear that coming from you," he spat out. 

"Naru, please. I'm sorry, I love you. I do. I didn't mean it." 

Naruto threw his arms up into the air in disbelief and bent down so he could slip on his shoes. Yahiko grabbed ahold of his boyfriend, prying him from the ground so that he would look at him. 

"I was going to tell you, I just didn't know when! I'm sorry!" Yahiko urged. 

"If you were really sorry, you would have told me," Naruto said, sad pools of cerulean piercing Yahiko's soul. The transition from anger to sadness was instantaneous. His grip on his boyfriend loosened, which Naruto shook out of. 

"You cheated me, too. You don't get to decide what's fair. We decide that together, that's how a relationship works," Yahiko said firmly. 

"I fucked up. I'm sorry," Naruto said. He clenched his fists at his sides. 

Yahiko steeled himself. 

"If you weren't prepared for all this knowing what Sasuke did to me, knowing what I've been through to get people off my back, knowing how scared I am of healing and getting better, then we should have never been together. I'm sorry. We stopped deciding things together when you lied to me in the first place and kept Sasuke from contacting me." 

Yahiko stepped backwards, making room for Naruto to breathe. The man was trembling wildly, fidgeting with the laces of his dress shoes before taking off. 

“I can't even look at you right now. We are done,” Naruto trailed off. He grabbed his phone and keys, storming out of the room quickly. He didn't even bother finishing his sentences nor looking Yahiko in the eye for that matter. 

The college student stood there in disbelief as Naruto left him all alone to wonder if he should have told Naruto the truth from the very beginning. About Sasuke. About Orochimaru and Jiraiya. About _Nagato._

Yahiko felt like the rest of his life was meant to feel this way.

* * *

_3 weeks following the ceremony..._

Sasuke believed that his life would look like the map that Fugaku had laid out for him ever since he was old enough to understand what his duties were as the sole heir of the Uchiha clan after Itachi had dropped out to fulfill his own dreams. 

The boy was convinced his brother's actions were frivolous and he believed in his father's mission for him. 

Down to where he would work. 

What he would eat. 

Who he would talk to. 

And who he would marry. 

Unlike his mother, who told him the world was full of endless opportunity, Fugaku conditioned him to believe that success for the elite looked different and felt different. That by achieving these standards, he was fulfilling his duty as an Uchiha. 

While Naruto was supposed to be a whimsy, a meaningless distraction, he became Sasuke's everything. Even right now, while facing his mother's weak form, the two were reunited. And there was hope alive in his heart that she would be awake soon and tell Sasuke how much she missed him and how perfect Naruto was for him. He owed it all to Naruto. 

The feeling that everything was turning out exactly the way it was supposed to. 

And that he was in control of his future and no one else. 

Not Fugaku or Sakura, and it was like the world was new to him. 

Naruto sat across from him, which wasn't unusual. The object of his affection had been coming to visit Mikoto for the past couple of weeks. He must have caught Sasuke staring and waved awkwardly at him before turning back to read his book. 

He knew about the break-up, but didn't mention it. 

As much as he wanted to reach out and stroke his hair or press gentle kisses against the pads of his fingers and trail kisses up his jawline, Sasuke knew that Naruto had been hurting over Yahiko. 

He still couldn't believe what that punk had tried to get away with or pull on Naruto. 

It still made him bitter to think about how close the two had gotten and how quickly he managed to get Naruto to fall for him. He didn't know for certain whether it was love Naruto had felt towards his intern. But, knowing he had spent any time under Naruto's spotlight or how he got to see Naruto in the early morning hours and how soft and warm light brushed up against those whiskered cheeks, made Sasuke's blood boil. 

And he knew it was entirely possible the two had been intimate together. 

It wasn't like Naruto was his. 

But, Naruto was his. 

When Naruto shot him a concerned look seeing at how pensive Sasuke had looked, he managed to brush it off and sit back in his chair facing the other direction. Naruto simply chose to ignore it. 

The two chatted for a bit until Itachi came back into the room, who was wary about leaving the two alone together in the first place. Although Itachi knew about how the author had been hurt by his boyfriend's actions, he did not condone Sasuke and Naruto getting back together. 

He knew Sasuke and he knew Naruto. 

They were still both children and had a lot of growing up to do. 

So, Itachi told Naruto that he should head home since he knew the author had missed a considerable amount of deadlines. Sasuke pretended not to be affected, but he frowned when Naruto agreed and started packing up his things. 

Before Naruto got up from his seat, Sasuke insists that he will walk Naruto down to the parking lot. Disapproval mars Itachi's features, but Naruto agrees upon seeing Sasuke's sad expression. Naruto bids Mikoto farewell and thanks Itachi. 

Upon exiting the hospital, the two immediately feel the cool, sharp sting of the wind. Naruto is severely underdressed without a jacket or coat and starts shivering. Sasuke rolls his eyes and begins to shrug off his coat for the dobe to wear. 

Meanwhile, Naruto exclaims how he can see his breath and obnoxiously blows frigid air into Sasuke's face. He hated how Naruto hadn't brushed his teeth in hours. But, he couldn't find the energy to care much. 

Instead, he caught the blond's flushed cheeks and squished his mouth closed with a smirk. 

Naruto stuck out his tongue, turning his cheek and licked Sasuke's hand which made him recoil, his cheeks turning red. 

"You're dumb," Sasuke said as he rubbed his hand on the cottony material of Naruto's shirt. 

"Ew," Naruto said, stumbling backwards. 

"You started it, dobe." 

The two froze at the utterance of Naruto's old nickname. Sasuke imagined that if Itachi were there, he would roll his eyes or glare at Sasuke angrily as if to say:  _It's unbecoming of someone of your caliber, isn't it? To cheat on your wife for a commoner?_

"Whatever you say, teme." 

With that, Sasuke wraps Naruto up in his stylish and dark wool coat. Naruto instantly melts into the material, his teeth no longer chattering. 

Sasuke smiles forlornly. Like he's just lost something he never knew he had. 

Naruto convinces himself he doesn't want to feel this warm. 

Somehow, the Uchiha feels like it should have been like this from the very beginning. 

Naruto merely stuffs his hands into the pockets of the coat, making a conscious effort to avoid eye contact. For the rest of the way walking towards Naruto's car, the two remain silent and at a loss for words. The walk there was uneventful, few cars remained in the parking lot during this time and rarely did people come home at this ungodly hour. They almost wished for a crisis to happen, just so they had something to talk about other than their sudden reversion back to old habits. 

How had things become so familiar so soon? 

It was as if the two had realized how dangerous familiar was and they put some distance between one another. Sasuke gave Naruto a wistful look while Naruto focused his gaze onto the cracked, wet concrete. 

Finally, they arrived at Naruto's old, beaten up car. Sasuke offered to give him a ride home, but Naruto tiredly waved him off. They stood there conversing for a bit, hoping the tension between them would settle down. 

It never did. 

The nervous energy in the air surrounded them like the cold mist, but somehow Sasuke felt relief in being beside the person he loved more than anything else. Although the Uchiha knew Naruto deserved better, he couldn't help but want him. 

Eventually, the sun peaked over purple, faded clouds. The cold air dissipated, rays of sun shone through the trees that towered above them. Sasuke's shoulders tensed up upon seeing Naruto's eyes flutter close as he took a deep breath. 

It was like the sun had come out because it had seen that he'd grown cold. 

"I guess it's time for me to head home," Naruto chuckled nervously. The Uchiha nodded absentmindedly before moving aside for Naruto to make room to open his car door. 

"Naruto," Sasuke said, grabbing onto him. 

"Yeah?" Naruto asked, his eyes widening. His fingers ghosted the handle of the car door before turning around fully to meet Sasuke's determined gaze that sent shock waves down Naruto's spine. 

 _Spit it out_ , Sasuke urged himself.  _It's time to be brave._

"I meant what I said, about wanting you for the rest of my life." 

"Oh," Naruto blurts out with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Sasuke laughs for a moment and its vibrancy ignites something deep within Naruto he wasn't sure was still there.

Naruto is rooted in his position, awaiting Sasuke's words. His heart thumps wildly in his chest, his breath relenting when Sasuke's fierce gaze dips downward. 

"I'm going to tell Sakura it's over," Sasuke said. 

Naruto nodded, fiddling with the hem of the Uchiha's warm overcoat. 

"I know you just broke up with Yahiko. I'm sorry he betrayed your trust like that and went behind your back, I understand if you don't want anything to do with relationships for a while," he rambled, combing a hand through his frayed, inky locks. 

 _God, why were things always so awkward between them?_ Sasuke wondered, even though he certainly knew why. 

"Truthfully, I saw myself falling in love with Yahiko," Naruto spoke, biting on his lip. 

"Ah," Sasuke sighed. 

"He had finally helped heal my heart which was broken time and time again. I started to believe I could be loved one day, really truly loved." Naruto said. 

Sasuke remained silent. 

"I thought maybe your other lovers were better in bed and so I developed an unhealthy relationship with my own body and Yahiko helped me have confidence in not only my looks, but my laugh and my work." 

"I'm sorry," Sasuke replied. He hadn't known Naruto ever felt that way. Sasuke always thought Naruto was beautiful and would have never guessed he felt that way about himself. He was always so goofy and confident and eager to prove he could make a name for himself without his father's legacy trailing behind him. 

"I know Itachi has my best interests at heart and that means he doesn't want us to be together," Naruto began, "but I'm in love with you Sasuke. I have always wanted to be with you." 

"I don't know what to say," Sasuke voiced incredulously. 

Naruto was going to be honest because he was sick of dancing around whether or not it was going to be him and Sasuke or him and Yahiko. He was going to be happy, because that is what he deserved. And if Sasuke was willing to give up the life he had for the life Naruto had always envisioned, he wasn't going to let this opportunity for them to finally be happy... 

For them to finally be at peace, slip away. 

It was time for them to be faithful. 

"Say you won't run away," Naruto replied confidently. 

"I'm sick of running, I'm sick of us not being together," Sasuke laughed aloud. 

He gripped onto Naruto's shoulders and looked at his seriously. 

"I never let myself want you because my father wanted me to grow up into something so he wouldn't have to be reminded of mom. I grew up hating myself just so I could make him happy. It doesn't excuse the ways in which I have hurt you. I made you watch me get married to Sakura, you were my best man. Even though I knew you still loved me, I pretended we could still be friends," Sasuke spoke lowly. 

"Sasuke, you can't keep only blaming yourself for what Fugaku did to you and Itachi," Naruto trailed off. 

Sasuke shook his head. 

"I'm apologizing for the ways in which I've hurt you because I want to become someone who's worthy to be in your spotlight again," Sasuke insisted. 

"Sasuke," Naruto trailed off, "you've always been in my spotlight." 

"Tonight," Sasuke spoke up. "Will you wait on your balcony for me? After I speak to Sakura, I will wait downstairs and I'm going to ask you properly this time." 

Naruto's face flushed and he nodded excitedly. 

With that, the two parted ways with excitement racing through their veins. They were finally ready to have a future with one another. 

* * *

**The Night of the 21st Annual Uchiha Foundation Benefit Dinner**

Mikoto sauntered down the stairs in a dark blue, glittery gown, a smile adorning her gentle features. Her gaze lifted upwards to meet the man waiting below who was wiping sweaty palms onto his dark, black slacks. 

She fought off a giggle upon seeing the nervous expression on her fiancé's face. Fugaku huffed indignantly. 

Suddenly, the woman's ribboned, white heel slipped across the smooth marble stairs and she had fallen on her back. She yelped wildly, her lover scrambling to get to her in time. 

She winced in pain, but told him how much she had wanted to to the benefit dinner and would be fine. He shook his head urging her that they were to go to the hospital immediately. 

Mikoto finally gave in and clutched onto Fugaku's velvety sleeve as he hurriedly carried her to the car. He laid her down carefully in the passenger's seat while he sped off to the hospital. 

Finally, they arrived at the hospital and Mikoto was quickly taken in for a check-up upon Fugaku reminding hospital staff that he was an Uchiha and Mikoto was soon to be one as well. 

He fidgeted wildly in his seat, worried sick over Mikoto's condition. His phone vibrated wildly with family and sponsors wondering where he had been but he could care less.

Above all else, he wanted Mikoto to be okay. 

Soon, he was called into the hospital room where Mikoto was barefoot and swinging her legs back and forth with a huge smile on her face despite the pain she was in. He turned to the doctor who welcomed him in.

The doctor had informed the couple that Mikoto would be fine as long as she took painkillers to manage her pain and that it would subside within a couple of weeks. Fugaku sighed in relief.  

Finally, he turned towards his fiancée to make sure she was okay. 

The physician nodded towards Mikoto with a small smile. 

_You're going to be a father._

* * *

**The Morning of Konan's 21st Birthday**

The college student wondered briefly if she should have studied harder for her final. Looking down at the paper which appeared to be written in a foreign language, she decided no matter how much she studied, this would never make sense to her. 

Ever. 

_Some birthday present._

She also briefly wondered if Yahiko was okay following his break-up with Naruto.  

All she knew was that he would show up for work and head home. While she hoped that he was eating, exercising regularly, and taking care of himself, she knew that it was unlikely given how much he had adored Naruto. 

Now that he was gone, he had little to look forward to.

Instead of supporting their relationship, Konan warned Yahiko that his dependency upon the author of his dreams would end disastrously if the two had ever decided to part. Maybe Yahiko took Konan's open disapproval as a challenge. Yet, she was genuinely concerned with how obsessed over the author he had become.

She felt it wasn't healthy, especially since Yahiko had basically founded their relationship upon a lie. And there were more lies just waiting to resurface at the smallest surge or wave of tension. 

Naruto valued honesty. He knew that. 

Konan told him that he should have told him the truth, but Yahiko was so scared to lose the only sun in his life. He was willing to share everything with Naruto except his past, which he tried to convince himself wasn't an important part of himself. 

He claimed that his future with Naruto was all that mattered. 

In actuality, keeping the past from Naruto was akin to lying. She knew Yahiko knew better, but he couldn't risk losing Naruto. And having him return back to Sasuke. 

Somehow, even Yahiko had known that Naruto was always meant to end up with Sasuke. While he tried his best to hold onto Naruto, he had slipped out of his grasp and their relationship was now out of his control. 

_Nagato, you left me in charge of Yahiko's happiness._

Perhaps that is what has prevented her from pursuing her own all these years. 

* * *

**Back to the Balcony**

The night was quiet and cool. Puffy clouds drifted across an acrylic sky shaken with silvery stars that made Naruto feel warm despite the frigid air. The moon illuminated the author's face as he stared up, waiting for Sasuke. 

This time, it was different. 

He knew that at the end of this night, the two would finally be together after a lifetime of being apart. Throughout his most formative years, he was forced to believe that to live a life in love was improbable for him. People had vied for his affection because they were always after something. 

The Uchiha was different. 

This time was going to be different. 

The author dreamily sighed as he scrolled through his phone, his arms hanging lazily over the balcony as he anxiously awaited the sight of his friend. His heart raced, running through the moment their eyes would lock. 

His words rang through his head: 

_I'm going to ask you properly this time._

It made him lovesick just thinking about it.

As time passed, Naruto grew weary and rested his cheek against his hand. He peered over the railing expectantly. No sign of Sasuke. 

He shook his head again, figuring it would take some time to get here. 

Naruto was determined to stay positive. He peered at the time and saw that it was almost 1 AM, knowing Sasuke got home at around 4 PM, he was concerned. He couldn't imagine the conversation between him and Sakura to be easy. Naruto figured that he would wait a little longer. He decided to sit down in a cozy chair he pulled up from his room and curled up in a blanket. 

_I'm sick of running._

Naruto smiled at the thought as he dozed off.

By the time Naruto woke up again, he blinked at the bright rays of light that tickled the bare nape of his neck. Seeing the sun, Naruto finally decided to call it quits.

_Then, what the hell do you call this, you bastard?_

He checked his phone one more time and decided that maybe he had been too overly enthusiastic and foolish to say the least. Is this what Naruto got for finally giving in? He had given up his relationship, his sleep, this time and energy. And for what? 

For Sasuke to do everything everyone expected of him? 

Naruto furrowed his brow at the thought of Sasuke being at home with his wife. The two had probably reconciled, Sasuke realizing what he would be giving up was nothing close to what he would be getting. 

Exhausted, the author turned on his heel. Too tired to think, or feel. 

"Naruto." 

His ears perked up before turning around with wide eyes. He gripped onto the railings, catching himself just before he was about to fall. His ears were flushed a deep red as he stared deeply into a familiar pair of amber eyes. 

"Yahiko, what are you doing here?" he asked incredulously. 

"It's freezing, get up here or you'll catch a cold!" Naruto yelled angrily at the college student. He felt like an old man, scolding Yahiko. Even though his ex-boyfriend was probably one of the last people he wanted to see, he felt like after waiting this long, at least something had resulted from it.

The student had been wearing a flimsy olive sweatshirt and ripped jeans. His words came out in clouds of cold air and chattered teeth. 

"I'm serious, just come up!" the author yelled. 

"I'm in college, there are no conditions that I can't live with!" Yahiko yelled up at his ex-boyfriend. Naruto rolled his eyes and held back in his laughter. 

"What is so important to say to me that you have to yell it from down there?" Naruto asked, massaging his temple with tired fingers. 

"I'm sorry," Yahiko replied. 

"You've said that a million times, texted and sent me a billion letters. I haven't opened them because I imagine they all say the same thing," Naruto rolled his eyes. Before he turned back around to head back inside, Yahiko spoke up. 

"I'm going to be honest with you, Naruto. I don't want to be just your friend even though you've told me that's all we can ever be. You know that we will never be able to just be friends," Yahiko trailed off, "if you want me to turn back, I will." 

Naruto stood there, waiting for Yahiko to continue. 

"I'm going to ask you if one day, I can ask you to marry me." 

His eyes widened. 

"I'm not ready yet and you're not ready yet, but one day, I'd like to ask you to marry me. And when I do, I'll have told you everything about me there is to know. Down to every last secret no matter how embarrassing or how much I've wanted to keep my past hidden from the future I want to have. Now I know relationships come with all of it. It's not enough to just look to the future. The past matters. Yours did." 

"Yahiko," Naruto shook his head in disbelief. He was at a loss for words. 

"I was really close to getting you to fall for me. I know it and I'm going to get there if you'll let me," the college student gazed into his eyes determinedly. 

"Yes." 

"Yes?" Yahiko repeated again, his face a deep shade of red. 

"Yeah, idiot, now go home," Naruto turned around and slammed the doors. The older man tried to fight off the small smile that made its way onto his lips, but welcomed the warm feeling that was beginning to feel so foreign to him. 

Outside, Yahiko threw his arms up in the air triumphantly. He paraded around like an idiot in Naruto's driveway before finally getting into his car. Little did he know about the pair of eyes focused on him as he sped away. 

* * *

**The Uchiha Household**

"You are not leaving me,"  a low voice grumbled as Sasuke's hand rested on top of the door's handle. His grip easily tightened. While he and Sakura had already talked about the divorce proceedings, she stumbled off rather than listen to Sasuke. 

He had stupidly assumed the process could be handled without her making too much of a fuss. 

Yet, she was sobered up and standing behind him. 

"I have to," Sasuke pleaded.  _I'm tired of running away from how I feel and who I am._

" _You cannot leave me_ ," his wife urged. Her voice was shaky. 

"I'm leaving," Sasuke affirmed. 

"After everything I've given up to be by your side," Sakura drawled out slowly. 

"You act like I haven't sacrificed anything to be here too," Sasuke bit back angrily. He was done. 

"What is it about that air-headed blond that has gotten you under his spell?" his wife scoffed. 

"I don't care what you have to say about Naruto, I love him. You didn't want to be civil, so don't act like you didn't ask for this." 

Sakura stepped backwards slowly before dropping to the ground.

"Of course I didn't ask for any of this!" Sakura screeched, her head in her hands as she hunched over. 

"I didn't want to be married to you! I don't want to live in this house with you, I don't want to love you. I don't want to be pregnant with your baby!" she yelled with a scared expression. Suddenly, Sasuke froze up. 

Sasuke walked towards her slowly, eyes wide. He moved to sit her up while she sobbed into his chest helplessly. It was as if she was clutching onto him for dear life. 

"This baby will die if I'm alone. I won't be able to take care of it, Sasuke. Not like this," she cried. He believed her. 

The Uchiha scooped her up into his arms, trudging up the stairs with an indiscernible look in his eyes. 

Soon, the two found themselves in bed. Sakura was curled up on her side, facing away from Sasuke. He peered over at her blotchy face and mussed up make-up. He figured if he still loved her, he would clean her face with a make-up wipe or towel. 

He resigned to stay in bed. 

Sasuke decided that the rest of his life was meant to feel like this. 

_Like tragedy._

* * *

_To Summer,_

_When I saw you on that balcony looking so defeated, I was ready to ask you to be mine forever. But I wasn't ready yet. I had to be ready for you when I asked because that's what you deserve._

_And you've always deserved more than me._

_You always will._

_When I was younger, I was convinced I was never going to have a happy ending because of the ways in which life has broken me. Meeting you was like rewriting every single chapter in my life that made me feel inferior. Now, I feel like I was born to do great things._

_Do you know the effect you have on people? I believe in myself now. And that there is good in me that will manifest itself in the good I do for the world. I never used to think that way._

_I was so selfish. And I was selfish in wanting you. I tried my best to possess you when you have a gift the whole world should be able to see. You're like the sun, you will always be like the sun. My sun._

_The night when I'm ready for you... I've been thinking about it a lot because it's the only possible thing that can keep me going._

_Picture it now, if you'd like._

_A banquet hall and bright lights and treats and music and dancing. Don't look at me like that, you're the author._

_All of your friends and family are there and we have dinner and we laugh and cry because everyone's dreams are finally coming true all at once. Your fourth book is coming out. You're taking on the publishing firm._

_And we're all so, so proud of you. We toast to your future. You don't know it yet, but soon we'll be toasting to our future._

_You're all smiles and laughter and joy and everything you should have been from the very beginning. And I bask in your warmth because I wasted so much time in the dark. There's no way I'm missing out on any of your light._

_I lead you outside, onto the balcony because seeing you all prim and proper, I have to steal you away for a little while._

_The cold air tickles your whiskered cheeks as you peer over the balcony and you turn to look back at me because you notice something you want me to see. I'm on one knee._

_You're squealing._

_But let me finish--w_ _e can take pictures later._

_You settle down._

_And I ask you the words that I've been nervously chanting in front of the mirror for a month._

_Will you marry me, d_ _obe?_

_Yours,_

_Fall_


	9. To Fall, Inking of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto makes a life-altering decision and runs into a ghost. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Itachi worries that Sasuke is beginning to regress back into the person his father always hoped he would become.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no update ;U; 
> 
> your comments are always so lovely and i look forward to reading them. if i don't respond right away, it's because i have no idea how but I ALWAYS ALWAYS read them and gush over them i promise 
> 
> i'm more likely to respond on tumblr if u message me on tumblr (@anybunnie)~ ^u^ hope you enjoy!!

**Eve of Sasuke's 21st Birthday**

"I'm not a  _horrible_  driver," Naruto huffed out frustratedly. The annoyed college student crossed his arms and leaned back into his seat, looking out into the bleary streetlights and dark, shiny roads. 

Sasuke nodded hesitantly before making a left turn, the wheel making a splashing noise as it rotated through a puddle. 

"You just can't drive when it's raining out," the Uchiha said slowly, trying to understand the blond. 

"Yup."

Naruto refused to face him. 

"Okay, so you'll drive us to your father's estate up north next week?" Sasuke questioned, raising a brow. 

This time, the blond turned towards the Uchiha and pointed an accusatory finger. 

"It could rain, who knows! You're a better driver anyways, so you should drive," his boyfriend barked back with flushed cheeks before sullenly retreating from the conversation by turning away from the Uchiha. 

The streets were slick with sheets of water that poured out onto the asphalt like broken glass. It shattered onto the ground in flashes of green and yellow from the street lamps and lights that illuminated the dark night sky. Naruto sighed. 

He had always hated rain. 

Naruto turned back towards Sasuke, who had remained characteristically silent throughout the car ride. His perfect facial features were framed by his sharp cheekbones and smooth black tresses. 

He could see the fast-moving lights race across his dark, onyx eyes, his concentration on the road as his boyfriend shamelessly looked him over. Despite all of their friends wanting to plan a big surprise party with lots of exuberant dancing, great food, a wonderful venue for photos and most importantly, drinking... 

Tonight, Sasuke simply wanted to spend his 21st birthday with Naruto. Normally, the Uchiha hated extravagant parties and having to socialize with total strangers or people who thought they were closer than they were trying to touch him. 

So, it shocked no one when instead of Sasuke walking through the door for his surprise party, it was a poor pizza delivery man whose confusion and shock at the giant affair caused him to run away and drop a grand total of eleven thin crust pizzas on the ground. 

The party wasn't a total failure though. 

Once the first pizza box was opened, a note inside read: 

_Contrary to the popular belief, my boyfriend isn't hogging me for the night. I'm hogging him._

Suffice to say, the party guests couldn't let all their hard work go to waste. 

Naruto stifled a chuckle, remembering tonight's earlier events. And the bewildered look on the pizza delivery guy's face as Sasuke handed him a thick stack of cash for the whole affair.

Sasuke always told him that Naruto couldn't help but being the center of attention at every party and it was one of the many reasons he loved his cheery blonde boyfriend. On the contrary, Naruto was convinced Sasuke was being silly. If they had gone to the party tonight, all eyes and ears would be on the stoic Uchiha.

Naruto scoffed. As if he would let anyone ogle over his dreamy boyfriend and the insanely attractive outfit the celebrant had decided to wear out for such a special occasion. His eyes scanned over the dark collared shirt that fit comfortably over taut, lean muscles and dark, slacks that hugged Sasuke's admittedly shapely legs. He also wore dark brown, leather dress shoes that tied the classy look together. 

The Uchiha had thrown his blazer in the back of the car alongside Naruto's absurdly orange bomber jacket, along with leftovers from when they had gotten expensive sushi and relatively inexpensive boba earlier that night. 

But, what drove Naruto wild about the Uchiha was the fact that the Uchiha had his hair slicked back due to the rain having caught them off guard. Usually, the Uchiha was always prepared but a week ago, he had lent Naruto his umbrella and he had yet to give it back. 

This came as a surprise to no one but Naruto ended up keeping this umbrella for 10 years. 

However, the rain had ended up matting the hair on their heads down in equally unattractive wet dog looks outside of the 10 seat sushi restaurant that had just closed.  The two were currently drying off in Sasuke's expensive sports car with the low hum of Sasuke's favorite songs playing from his phone. While Naruto's hair was still recovering from the equally as surprising as torrential rainfall, Sasuke had simply slicked his hair back and he looked like a supermodel again. 

Who was he kidding? 

_Sasuke would look like a supermodel with Rock Lee's signature bowl cut._

A rivulet of rain dripped down from a stray piece of hair, which caused Sasuke to take one of his hands off the wheel and brush it backwards. As Naruto watched the glint of the Uchiha crest on his wristwatch shine underneath the warm street lamps, he bit his lower lip in anticipation. The fingers slid through the hair easily, getting caught in little to no tangles as Sasuke returned his hand back to the steering wheel. 

Naruto exhaled the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. 

He was going to have to start agreeing to Sasuke's offers of taking a shower with him if it meant beholding this sight more often. 

Suddenly, a flash of red slitted across the cocky driver's smirk. 

Crap, he always knows when I'm checking him out. 

Naruto's cheeks immediately flared red as he shifted his eyes towards his window. 

"Dobe, the hair is really doing it for you, huh?" Sasuke sneered. 

"Light's green, teme." 

Sasuke faced forward and sped up. 

"I'd do anything more often for you if you wanted me to."

Naruto's face turned red at Sasuke's blunt statement.  

"Oh, so like stop being an asshole?" Naruto questioned. 

"You know you kind of like it," Sasuke retorted. 

_They both knew it was true._

"Stay over," Sasuke spoke up. His boyfriend's eyes scanned over the soppy roads as he pondered the situation. 

"You know I have a report due tomorrow morning," Naruto pouted. He slid a hand up and down his arm and avoided eye contact. 

"I'll help you write it," the Uchiha pleaded.

He wanted to say yes. So badly. 

"Sasuke, you know I want to, but you know we won't get any work done," Naruto chuckled. 

_That was true too._

"Alright, I'll drop you back off to campus," Sasuke responded as he made a sharp right turn. Naruto jolted forwards. 

"Sorry, babe," Sasuke gave Naruto an apologetic look. 

"You're fine," Naruto replied easily, reaching forward to give Sasuke a kiss on the cheek as they approached a STOP sign. Sasuke smiled endearingly and pecked the blond on the lips before returning his attention to the road. The two drove in silence until Sasuke's car slowed down as they passed underneath the bridge that was near Naruto's on campus apartment. 

The rain finally stopped as the two stepped out of the car after Sasuke parked in front of Naruto's door. 

They both walked towards one another, stopping to meet in front of the bleary headlights of the car. Sasuke peered down at the blond and drew a hand up to meet his cheek. 

"You're breathtaking," Sasuke admitted. 

"You're so fucking cheesy," Naruto laughed heartily. The Uchiha dropped his hand to hold Naruto's in his own. Naruto gladly squeezed his hand in his own reassuringly. Their eyes were focused on one another and the two drowned in the molten chemistry that had drawn the two together so fiercely. 

It was dizzying. 

"This was my favorite birthday and that's saying a lot because my mom threw me a total rager for my big zero-three," Sasuke confessed. His boyfriend grinned. 

"I love you, Uchiha," Naruto spoke up. He let go of Sasuke's hand in order to wrap his hands around his waist and pulled him into a tight embrace. Sasuke hooked his arms around Naruto's neck and the two breathed in deeply. 

Sasuke turned his head from Naruto's shoulder and kissed the side of Naruto's head. 

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Sasuke asked by Naruto's ear. 

He felt him nod in reply and the two separated, but not before Naruto leaned up to kiss Sasuke, tilting Sasuke's chin so they could deepen the kiss further. Sasuke's eyes fluttered closed along with Naruto's. 

Unlike their previous kisses which were between fits of uncertain feelings and wacky midterm sleep cycles, this one was full of sincerity. 

Love. 

And both of them were sure that the rest of their lives would always feel this way. 

* * *

**Present Day**

Sasuke woke up the next morning feeling like shit. 

He considered calling into work sick today, but his father had been on his ass just about every time he stepped out of the office for even a minute after missing weeks of work after visiting Mikoto at the hospital. 

_You're lucky you're my only son, otherwise I would fire you without so much as a pity check._

The Uchiha merely brushed the comments aside, adjusting his tie as he stood in front of the vanity of the bedroom he and Sakura had once shared. Nowadays, the two couldn't stand to be in the same room with one another. 

However, it would never appear that way with Sakura's incessant posting on social media about their incoming bundle of joy. He swore every morning he checked his phone, it would be flooded with new comments and tabloid articles about the new addition to the Uchiha family. 

Under normal circumstances, Sasuke figured he would be over the moon. Especially knowing how vital it was that his marriage with Sakura was every bit as fulfilling as Sakura's family's business was in helping the Uchiha Corporation close the deal with Yamanaka Pharmaceuticals. The thought that his life was going to feel this way forever caused Sasuke to gag on the air he was breathing for a second. 

He regained his composure by walking over to the bed and pinching the bridge of his nose. Breathing in and out slowly, he slipped on his dress shoes and headed off to work. 

Briefly, he checked in on Sakura who was sipping on a cup of tea in the living room in a pair of fluffy pink pajamas. She was seated on the couch watching one of Neji Hyuuga's documentaries about ethical consumption. Her eyes glanced backwards over at the Uchiha at the sound of his car keys jingling. 

"How are you feeling?" he asked sincerely. 

"Better," she replied. Sakura handed him her empty mug to put in the sink. 

"Feet still hurt?" Sasuke asked as he pulled up his sleeves to wash the mug. 

"Yeah, like an unfair amount," she chuckled in reply. 

"That sucks," Sasuke said absentmindedly. He dried his hands on a dish towel and hung it back over the rack before grabbing his keys. As he got the door, he took one last look over towards his wife who was curled up onto her side, clutching onto her stomach. 

"Want me to stay?" he asked concerned. 

She shook her head. 

"You should go to work, it will make you feel more stressed if you don't show up." 

"Still, let me know if you need anything. I'll leave work if you need me to," he spoke up. 

Although the two had been at odds, Sasuke had realized it was unfair for him to be needlessly cruel to Sakura especially because she had tried to make it work for both of them for so long. 

Now that he was sure Naruto didn't want him to be a part of his life, he figured that he would have to get used to the life he had now and make the most out of it. 

* * *

 Groggily, Naruto got up after stretching out his limbs across wrinkled bedsheets. His fingers felt numb after having woken up, so he raised them above his head before running a hand through mussed, blond hair. 

He threw his legs over the side of his bed. His jean-clad legs felt stiff. He silently cursed, realizing he should have changed into his pajamas or taken them off at least. His gaze was drawn towards the phone at his bedside. 

_3:45 PM._

He should have set an alarm. As per usual, Naruto had deadlines to meet. 

Naruto had a few missed calls, which wasn't unusual. As he scrolled through his messages, he noticed one from Sasuke. 

_Hey dobe, I know you're still mad at me. I don't blame you for that. I know I'll never make it up to you, but I hope that one day we can be something one day._

_P.S. I want my umbrella back._

The author put down the phone and walked over to the bathroom to brush his teeth and pull on some real clothes. And deliver a cranky Uchiha his umbrella back. 

It had been two weeks since the night Naruto waited for Sasuke on his balcony. Looking back on the situation, Naruto hated himself for being naive enough to think their issues could be sorted out so suddenly despite the fact that they wanted to be together. 

Sasuke explained the situation as they sat across each other awkwardly at the hospital. How Sakura was pregnant and he felt that he should stay with her long enough to make sure she was okay. 

He had already found Sakura some health resources that would help her in the areas that he couldn't and Naruto was proud of him for that. 

Naruto confided in his friend that he would be joining Tsunade soon, but neglected to tell Sasuke that he had gotten back together with Yahiko. He felt that if the two were to move forward with their relationship, leaving him out of it would be for the best. 

Yet, even after that night Sasuke left him there... 

Naruto couldn't help but shake the feeling that they were still supposed to be together somehow. 

While Itachi was supposed to be relieved, he couldn't help but feel the sadness that emanated from the two. Especially on Sasuke's behalf, who had struggled so hard to be good again only to be met with such a sad fate. 

And Naruto was going to be leaving very soon. Despite promising he would come back to visit whenever he could, he knew that Naruto's new life in another city would be busy, especially if Yahiko was truly serious about having a future with Naruto. 

The older brother sat back as he observed the two from behind the door with a disappointed frown. His anger towards Fugaku welling up in his chest as he thought about how much easier his life would have been if not for that soulless business tyrant. 

How he had taken not only his mother's happiness away, but his brother's too. In the process, he had taken Itachi's. 

But, what made him even more upset was that Naruto's happiness had been taken away as well. 

* * *

**Konoha Primary Election Day**

"You're awfully cheery today, Utakata," a man hissed as he maneuvered his way through a sea of bodies draped over antique furniture, absent laughs and tired snores, with glasses rimmed with hard drugs and filled to the brim with syrupy wine dangling between chipped nails. 

"If it isn't my new favorite client," Utakata replied easily. He twirled an inked pen in between his fingers and dangled a hardy handle of whiskey in his other hand. The amber liquid sloshing around like a golden fountain of piss-soaked nightmares and inadequacy. 

"You weren't followed, were you?" he tilted his head and motioned his security guards to check the hallway behind him as well as stand by the door after he had entered. 

Orochimaru shook his head. 

"Followed your orders, exactly as stated." 

Utakata nodded, "Good, good." 

A cry broke out as a woman whimpered in the corner of the room, having fallen off the couch and onto the hardwood floor underneath. Immediately, a woman in professional attire ran by her side and picked her up by the arm and ushered her out of the room. 

Orochimaru paid the incident no mind. 

"Don't mind the mess, walk over them if you have to. You've never had a problem doing that before, have you? Orochimaru?" the campaign manager sneered as he dropped the handle across the vintage carpet, letting it spill into the fabric and stain. The inked pen in his hand he pointed towards Orochimaru. A contract was slid over to him across the mahogany desk where Utakata was seated. 

"I'd like to assess the requirements of our agreement before signing anything," the man spoke. He declined the pen. 

Utakata shrugged. 

Orochimaru gazed briefly to his left and right. Although he vaguely knew who he was dealing with, he was in uncharted territory. Territory he didn't want to be in, but had to in order to sustain his business. 

Cigarettes hung out of clenched teeth, lipstick stains marred the papery sticks. Coughs and bellows of pain were drowned out by a vintage stereo in the corner of the room playing a retro tune that was eerily chilling as it scratched across the disc. 

"Would you like to take one of these records out for a spin?" Utakata asked as he twirled around in his swiveling chair, his dress shoes scraping briefly across the wet carpet. 

"Perhaps. Which one is your favorite?" Orochimaru asked as he gazed down at the contract and began to analyze the terms and conditions, ignoring the drunkard who hung off his leg, desperately clawing at him for help. 

"Beats me, all this belongs to the old geezer," he gestured towards the back of the room where a man appeared to be unconscious, his hands tied behind his back with a blindfold wrapped around his eyes. 

Orochimaru froze up. 

"Don't you know who you're dealing with?" Utakata sneered, taking the pen on the desk and stabbing it through the slit between Orochimaru's fingers. the ink staining the page beneath and spilling out onto his fingers. 

Orochimaru gulped. 

"Sign the damn contract or next time, you won't be so lucky," he gritted out. Utakata gripped onto the pen and ripped it out of the page, the impact having left an evident mark on the table. His eyes were focused on Orochimaru's fingers, making sure he signed the agreement. 

Finally, Orochimaru scribbled away his name with the pen and handed the ink-soaked page to Utakata. 

"Now, that wasn't so hard," Utakata shook his head. The well-groomed man got up to circle around Orochimaru dragging the sharp silver quill along the edge of the other man's back in a menacing fashion. 

"What do you want with me?" Orochimaru asked. 

"Power, money, fame, I have it all. But, I have my eyes set on a very particular prize actually," Utakata drifted off. He jabbed Orochimaru in the side with the inked pen and digging it in deeper, causing him to fall to the ground.

Utakata got down on one knee to whisper in his ear. 

"And I need your help to get it."

The other man on the ground nodded his head vigorously, begging to be assisted as blood started to pour out of his side. Utakata pulled the pen out of his side and threw it on the table, gesturing for his guards to assist Orochimaru with his recovery. 

"I'm going out, big campaign meeting for tonight's primary elections announcements!" Utakata hollered as he left the room. He snapped his fingers at the professional looking woman who then handed him a lighter from her jacket pocket and adjusted his collar. 

With one last look over his shoulder, he wrapped an arm around her and threw the lighter carelessly back into the room behind them. 

* * *

**BREAKING NEWS ALERT**

_Tonight's Konoha Primary Elections Announcements Have Been Postponed due to the Recent Tragedy Befalling the Terumi Family, Mei joins us now as the sole survivor and heir to the Terumi Family-_

"Kushina, please turn it off, I can't bear to watch it any longer," Minato exclaimed. He was beside himself with fraught and worry over the elections, but now he was occupied with thoughts concerning the recent events involving a family he was not only close to, but supported  Minato as a leader. 

"Minato, I came as soon as I heard the news, I'm so sorry for your loss!" Utakata exclaimed as he stormed into the room. Kushina found the display strange considering the news had barely just been covered, but attributed it to Utakata having to be informed of these situations as a result of his job. 

"How is Naruto holding up? I know he and Mei were close when he was younger," Utakata lamented. 

"I pulled him out of his classes earlier this week, he's in his room," Minato responded. 

"Would you like me to bring him down here?" the man asked his campaign manager. 

"No, I don't want to bother him. He should be alone if he needs to be alone right now, we can discuss the campaign later," Utakata mentioned. Minato nodded and the two walked over to the couches to join Kushina as they sat around the coffee table sipping on some oolong milk tea. 

"Thank you so much for understanding," the mayor responded. 

"Right now, your family needs support," he said placing a hand reassuringly on Minato's shoulder. 

"I can't help but think that it's all my fault, because of the campaign and the reelection and-," Minato trailed off exasperatedly while Kushina rubbed his back. 

"Never feel that way, Minato," his wife soothed him. 

Suddenly, footsteps clambered down the stairs. Naruto, with an unreadable expression on his face approached the three as they gathered around, seated on the plush couches and armchair. 

"This was because of the campaign?" Naruto asked, his voice broken. 

"Naruto-," Kushina began and drew her arms towards her son to embrace him. He merely brushed them aside. 

"Mei's family is dead! She-," Naruto began, "I hate being your son! I hate that you're the mayor! I wish we just had a normal life. None of this is okay," the college student cried out before retreating back into his room. 

"Naruto!" Minato cried out after his son as he marched back up the steps. He collapsed onto the ground, distraught over his son's outburst and the loss of his friends. How could things have gone so impossibly wrong? 

"Want me to go check on him?" Utakata asked Kushina as she leaned down to comfort her husband. 

She nodded absentmindedly before turning her attention back towards Minato. 

As Utakata made his way upstairs and found Naruto's door slightly ajar, he knocked on it gently before letting himself inside. The college student was seated on his bed, his eyes dripping with tears as he stared off absently. He was making no noise, just holding onto a pillow with his knees drawn in towards his chest. 

"Utakata," Naruto's voice shook as the man approached him. He scooted over to make room for him to sit on the bed. Utakata smiled, handing him a tissue for Naruto to wipe away his tears and blow his nose. 

"You know this isn't because of your dad's campaign, right?" Utakata asked as he leaned in to place a hand on Naruto's back. He wasn't going to beat around the bush if he knew what was bothering him. 

Naruto shook his head, "It doesn't feel that way." 

"If Mei is ever going to get justice for her family, your dad needs to be in a position where he can make that change happen. I know you don't want to hear this right now, but your profile for the campaign is vital." 

"I don't know, Utakata," Naruto spoke hesitantly.

But, as he looked up at Utakata and saw the calming gaze in his deep amber pools, he nodded in agreement. 

Utakata pulled Naruto into a hug soon afterwards. Naruto's eyes widened, but eventually he returned the hug and sniffled against his shoulder. 

"Thank you," he muttered against Utakata's shoulder. He felt the older man shift, before drawing up his other arm to rest against the nape of Naruto's neck and sighed. 

"We're gonna get through this, Naruto." 

Utakata's eyes wandered towards Naruto's phone where a new notification popped up from his concerned friends and family. A certain Uchiha's name appeared which caused him to tighten his grip around Naruto unbeknownst to the grief-stricken college student. 

* * *

At work, Sasuke passed Yahiko without greeting him and the interaction was awkward nonetheless. 

The college student had made Sasuke a black coffee with absolutely zero sugar and no creamer, but he heard Sasuke knock it into the trashcan from within his office. The _least_ he could do was give it to someone else. 

Instead of dwelling over his boss and his various moods, he typed away on his computer. 

Since Sasuke had been visiting Mikoto more and more often, he had missed important calls and meetings that Yahiko had been rescheduling or supplementing with his own information from the company to meet client demands. 

He sighed, but reminded himself that he would be finishing up his work soon. 

Naruto told him that he'd chosen to take the job over at Tsunade's firm and asked Yahiko if he wanted to come with him after he graduated. He knew that Yahiko had been promised a job at the Uchiha Corporation after his internship because of his skill set and dedicated work ethic, but knew that they would struggle in a long-distance relationship especially if they were still intent on getting married sometime in the future. 

With the issues and problems they had run into, it was important for them to stay together and build trust. 

In addition, Yahiko figured it would be weird to continue to work for Sasuke's company especially after he was going to marry the love of his life that he had just tried to propose to. 

_Yikes._

Anyways, he knew Konan was against it but he didn't really have a choice because Naruto was the future he wanted. His sister could come with him if she wanted to, but there were just some things that you just have to do on your own. 

He briefly wondered what Nagato would have thought about the situation and if he was being selfish. 

His whole life was a chance he had been given as a result of Nagato's selflessness and his sacrifice in order to give his family a better life than they would have all had together. 

But, they would have been together. 

Surprisingly, Yahiko was called into Sasuke's office in order to expedite a contract. He wanted to address the tension that had arisen between the two and clear the air. Mostly because it seemed like it was starting to affect their work relationship, but also because he wanted to make it clear to the Uchiha that he didn't have a place in their relationship. 

He didn't want to see him in the future that Naruto and him were going to share together. 

"Thank you, Yahiko," Sasuke spoke as he waved him off. 

Briefly, he wondered if he should bring it up now but before he could exit, the Uchiha spoke up. 

"Is there something troubling you?" he asked. 

"No, sir," the intern responded. 

"Well, I'll see you around." 

"Actually, sir," Yahiko cleared his throat. 

Sasuke stopped shuffling his papers and shifted his gaze up towards his assistant. 

"I'm listening," Sasuke said in a casual tone. 

"It's completely unrelated to work, but I do feel like it needs to be addressed if we're gonna have to work together for the next couple months. I wanted to talk about Naruto," Yahiko started. 

The Uchiha replied, "I don't see how that has anything to do with either of us at this point." 

"Mr. Uchiha, Naruto and I are," Yahiko struggled to swallow the lump in this throat, "still together." 

Sasuke froze up at the mention of this. 

"And I don't necessarily like you wanting to still be involved in his life. I don't think it's healthy for either of you to still be in any kind of relationship if I'm being completely honest." 

"Well, nobody asked you to be," the Uchiha interjected, a furious expression across his features. 

"I'm sorry, I'll just be-," Yahiko cleared his throat, struggling to open the door. 

"You're fired." 

"Excuse me?" Yahiko asked in disbelief. 

"You heard me, you're fired." 

Yahiko turned back around to face his boss. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have reported the situation to HR, but he was beyond this. He was done having had to grapple with impossible circumstances to finally have Naruto back in his life. He wouldn't let this Uchiha get in the way of that. 

Not when Naruto finally had a chance to be happy. 

"Fine by me." Yahiko spoke, slamming the door and immediately rushing to collect his things. 

As Yahiko retreated down the stairs seeing as the elevator was busy, Sasuke frustratedly picked up a paperweight on his office desk and slammed it against the wall. The shattered glass making a sharp noise as the pieces flung every which way onto the plush, white carpet. He huffed indignantly at his own display of rage and disbelief. 

_Why hadn't Naruto told him he had gotten back together with Yahiko?_

Someone who had tried to separate him and Naruto... 

Yahiko had even tried to tell him to leave Naruto alone yet again, when that was clearly something Naruto should have been able to decide for himself. It hurt to think that Naruto might have put him up to it without telling him. Yet, Sasuke denied it, knowing that Naruto and him would be on good terms again. 

Right? 

Sasuke shook his head, falling back into his chair. 

It was then that the Uchiha peered over his computer monitor to see that a familiar face with a disturbingly familiar expression upon his face. One that was full of the same sadness that he had witnessed not so long ago. 

"Itachi," Sasuke spoke weakly, desperately trying to regain his composure. 

"It's always such a sight to see your mechanisms for-," Itachi coughed, "coping." 

"If this is a lecture, I don't want to hear it." 

"It's an umbrella," Itachi said, handing it over towards Sasuke. 

The Uchiha's eyes widened. 

"Naruto's parents are coming over tonight for a surprise visit, he said that you texted him asking for it back but he didn't have time to drop it off, so here I am." 

Hesitantly, Sasuke took back the umbrella. Instantly, memories of what his past with Naruto flooded into his mind. When there was no pain and Sasuke had hope in his heart despite the tragedy. 

His eyes traveled back up towards his older brother. 

"I want to see him," Sasuke mentioned. He got up from his seat, but Itachi pushed him back down into his chair. His little brother shot him a fierce glare. 

"In your current state, I don't think that's a good idea. Especially since I noticed Yahiko's stuff has been cleared from his desk and he's not here." 

Sasuke retorted, "I don't see how this is related." 

"Well, I do." 

"Sasuke, do you want to go back to being our father or do you want to move past all _this_?" Itachi asked desperately, motioning towards the shattered remnants of the paperweight strewn across the floor. 

"No, you know I don't," Sasuke reasoned. 

"Now you don't have to apologize to Yahiko, but if he wants his job back, that's a start," Itachi said. 

The younger Uchiha was cut off from replying as the two brothers turned their attention towards the door. Sasuke immediately stood up upon recognizing the man standing in the doorway. He had his dark hair slicked back and piercing amber eyes that were currently focused on Sasuke's onyx ones. He wore a stylish, white suit with gold cuffs and a dark watch. 

It made Sasuke's skin crawl to see the Namikaze emblem embroidered on the hem of his sleeve. 

Briefly, he wondered how that got there. 

Itachi immediately clenched his fists and resisted the urge to glare at the intruder. 

The man casually dug his hands into his pockets and smirked. 

"Ah, Fugaku's minions. Long time no see," he spoke up. 

"What do you want, Utakata?" Itachi sneered. 

"I'm not here for you, Itachi. I'm here for the little one. Your brother," Utakata nodded. 

Sasuke stood his ground and muttered a "Hn," in response. 

"Would you happen to know where Yahiko is? He owes me a favor." Utakata ushered in a red-haired man behind him. 

His hair hung over his eyes and he had an unreadable expression on his face. His clothes were simple unlike Utakata and the stark contrast marked that he was of little significance or relation to Utakata. 

"My friend Nagato here is a _big_ fan of Naruto's, would you also happen to know where he is?" Utakata asked. 

Sasuke's eyes widened at the mention of his name and immediately, he stumbled backwards. 

"Don't give him anything, Sasuke," Itachi said. 

Utakata chuckled out loud. 

"I heard what happened to Mikoto," Utakata responded. 

It was Itachi's turn to flinch. 

"Should I have brought an umbrella too? I wasn't aware it was going to rain," Utakata smiled, gesturing towards the umbrella. Meanwhile, Itachi and Sasuke stared at one another, at a loss for what to do. 

The brothers started to feel the room close in on them and it was starting to get harder and harder to focus, let alone breathe. 

"It's funny because Naruto had an umbrella just like that," Utakata spoke up. 

"Enough," a voice spoke up. 

Both brothers looked up to see Fugaku had now entered the room. 

"This is between you and me, Utakata. Let's go," he mentioned, completely ignoring Itachi's presence. 

"Nagato, stay here, won't you?" Utakata asked as he followed Fugaku into the elevator. He exited Sasuke's office, leaving the two brothers behind with Nagato, who kept his gaze focused on Sasuke. 

Itachi's gaze shifted towards the door. 

"Excuse me, while I go to the bathroom," Sasuke mentioned before heading out, giving Itachi a cautionary glare as he stumbled out the door. Regardless of everything happening right now, he had to warn Naruto. 

In the meantime, Itachi had sent a message to Hinata, pleading with her to stay with Mikoto. She responded immediately saying that she'd be there and asked if it was okay if Kiba came along as well. 

Itachi signed in relief. 

_The more people on their side, the better._

* * *

Naruto was surprised to see Sasuke on his doorstep. 

Normally, the Uchiha would message him or something in advance. It was unlike him to just show up anywhere unannounced especially because Sasuke was the type to plan things weeks ahead. 

Before Naruto could open his mouth to speak, the Uchiha glanced down at the ring on Naruto's finger. 

It shone brightly underneath the porch light and as soon as Sasuke saw it, he retracted his hand and hid it behind his back before closing the door. 

"You're engaged," Sasuke said. The words felt heavy as he leaned against the door frame in exasperation. 

Naruto nodded, "Yeah." 

"I'm happy for you," the Uchiha responded. 

He didn't miss the flash of hurt that shone in Naruto's eyes as the words left Sasuke's mouth. 

"Sasuke, I'm scared. Why are you here?" Naruto asked, changing the subject. Somehow, Sasuke not fighting for him or over him bothered Naruto when he knew that he deserved to be happy for himself. 

"Is Yahiko with you?" Sasuke began. 

"Yeah, he's in the living room with my parents," Naruto replied. 

"Utakata is looking for both of you," Sasuke said. 

Naruto froze. 

"He knows about Mikoto," Sasuke said. 

"Oh my god." 

"Look, I'm not going to let anything happen to you," the Uchiha replied. 

Naruto felt faint and stumbled forward, clutching onto Sasuke for dear life. 

"How do you know that?" he muttered against the Uchiha's shoulder. 

Sasuke shook his head. 

"Do you remember that night when I dropped you off at your house after my 21st birthday?" Sasuke soothed the blond by rubbing a hand up and down the small of his back reassuringly. 

Naruto nodded. 

"You look really good with your hair slicked back," Naruto mouthed against Sasuke's chest as he dipped further down. 

Sasuke fought the urge to laugh and instead, smoothed down the hairs at the base of Naruto's neck. 

"I know we're going to get through this because," Sasuke began, "you told me you loved me that night and even though that might not be true anymore, I love you. Naruto, I love you." 

The author straightened up and looked up at Sasuke in surprise. 

"I don't know why I didn't tell you that night, but I did. I loved you. I have been in love with you my whole life, and from this point onwards, I will do my best to catch up and that means I'll protect you from Utakata," Sasuke stated. 

The Uchiha dropped down on one knee and took the blond's hand in his own. 

"Teme, you're so dorky," Naruto explained. 

"Shut up, dobe. I'm trying to be," Sasuke struggled to fight back the blush forming on his cheeks, "Gallant." 

"You're doing a good job, continue." 

"Pft." 

"A great one, in fact."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto giggled. 

"Naruto, this is the one promise I know I can keep and it's to protect you." 

As Naruto peered down at the Uchiha who had dropped to the ground to vow to keep him safe, he felt the ring on his finger impossibly tighten like he had made some big mistake. 

Because this was where he wanted to be. 

But, Yahiko was a sure thing when Sasuke had always been uncertain about his feelings and their future.

Naruto drew his gaze towards the side. 

"Come inside, we'll figure it out together," Naruto decided and helped the Uchiha up. The two shared a smile and Sasuke wanted to reach out to touch the blond, but the ring on Naruto's finger felt like a warning. 

Unbeknownst to the Uchiha, Naruto wanted that too. 

* * *

_To Summer,_

_For everything that's gone wrong in my life, I never blamed myself for what was happening around me. I always figured that other people were in the way of my own happiness, but I'm in control of a lot more than I ever thought I was._

_I was allowed to love you from the start, but I never let myself love you because I was scared of needing anyone._

_I thought I liked being alone and the truth is everyone I was surrounded by made me want to be alone. But, you've changed all that. I want to spend time with people like you._

_My whole life, I plotted out my life down to my retirement and getting a pension and all those important adult things. I didn't account for you. You put a wrench in my plans for misery because that's the type of person you are._

_And I love you for it._

_I will never love anyone as much as I love you. And I wish I knew what I had when I had it._

_I spent so much of my life being angry at everyone around me and blamed them for my lack of happiness, but I don't want to be that person anymore. I want to enjoy things again, with you, for us and for me._

_It's exhausting carrying this hatred around with me. This pain and regret and sorrow, it's time I took the blame as a result of my actions._

_Summer, do you think the rest of my life is going to feel this way?_

_Is there hope for me like there is hope for you?_

_P.S. Give me back my umbrella. We've been over this a thousand times._

_Yours,_

_Fall_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has been such a rough year y'all, but school is almost over and I can work on cosplay for AX AHHHHHhhhh
> 
> ALSO like if ur part of any sasunaru discords, groups, communities, if u jus like sasunaru in general, can i please be your friend bc i literally have zero sasunaru friends let alone friends who like anime n cosplay n stuff ;___; 
> 
> I'm making it a goal to finish this story before this year ends soOOOOOOOO see u soon!!

**Author's Note:**

> im in college can u tell


End file.
